HODL was derived when a drunk crypto investor misspelled the word “hold.” It’s a common crypto slang that means to hold onto crypto assets even when the market is volatile and going down. It’s even been retroactively updated to mean “Hold On for Dear Life”. This crypto slang word is considered to be at the core of many crypto and Bitcoin believers.

The term HODL originated from an online post from 2013 when the price of Bitcoin became volatile. A Bitcoin enthusiast by the username “GameKyuubi” wanted to encourage people not to sell their Bitcoin during the market crash. The post was basically a drunk, typo-laden rant where the user described his poor trading skills and, at the same time, the determination to keep his Bitcoins intact and not sell them during that crash.