NFT
NFT (noun) means a unique digital record on a blockchain showing who owns a particular item, most often a picture, video, collectible or piece of music. The record is the NFT; the artwork itself is normally stored elsewhere. Example: “She bought an NFT of a cartoon penguin and the transfer showed up in her wallet within minutes.”
How to Use NFT
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA one-of-a-kind entry on a shared digital record saying who owns a particular item.
Written in capitals. The plural is NFTs. Often used loosely to mean the picture rather than the ownership record.
"Non-fungible" simply means not interchangeable: one ten-pound note is as good as any other, but one numbered NFT is not the same as another.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She bought an _____ of a cartoon penguin and the transfer showed up in her wallet within minutes.
Etymology
An initialism of non-fungible token, where fungible means interchangeable with another of the same kind.
Synonyms
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Related Words
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an NFT and a cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency units are interchangeable: one bitcoin is worth exactly the same as any other bitcoin. NFTs are not interchangeable, because each one is a distinct record pointing at a specific item, so two NFTs in the same collection are separate things.
If I buy an NFT, do I own the artwork?
Buying an NFT transfers the token, the on-chain record of ownership. Whether it also transfers copyright or any rights over the image depends entirely on the terms the seller set out; in many cases the image file itself sits on an ordinary web server or file network rather than on the blockchain.
What does minting an NFT mean?
Minting is the act of creating the token, that is, writing the new record onto the blockchain for the first time. Until an item is minted, there is no NFT, only a file.