[Grimm1]

Unfortunately language isn't a static thing and is somewhat defined by the dominant usage of something over time (unless you're in the rare country that has fully prescriptive language). I had been using crypto as shorthand for cryptography for a long time but cryptocurrency quickly subsumed that. If I talk to any of my non technical friends, and even technical friends who don't touch cryptography, crypto = cryptocurrency. I think the war is lost here.

[giantrobot]

The bigger problem is for non-technical users "cryptography" and "cryptocurrency" now sound interchangeable. So now you can't have a conversation about cryptography without explaining how it's distinct from the concept of cryptocurrency and that you're not talking about Bitcoin.

While most people aren't talking to their non-technical friends and family about cryptography too often, the co-opting of "crypto" is problematic for companies. They now have to explain to lay people why a new phone isn't pumping out Bitcoin when it was advertised as having strong cryptography. It's going to also be super problematic when politicians start talking about "crypto" regulation and we're having to fight battles over the legality of cryptography again. I don't think my old RSA-as-one-liner still fits.

[AnthonyMouse]

The worst part is that there is already another word for cryptocurrency. Blockchain. It has the same number of syllables as "crypto" and isn't ambiguous.

The cynic in me says they did it on purpose, because it's widely agreed by non-morons that cryptography is good and important and people wanted to associate their controversial shitcoins with that good and important thing.

[Grimm1]

I talk about encryption which cuts the confusion nicely even if it isn't a perfect replacement but I find lay people don't care about the general field of cryptography they care about privacy and from that, encryption. I've been able to get a few people onto signal for instance by going that route.

[blueflow]

People will also deny that Wine is an emulator, and people will also claim that whatever tinc does is not an VPN because it doesnt hide your IP when watching porn. My coworker denied DOS is an operating system because it doesn't have virtual memory and paging.

all nonsense ... People generally aren't good with subtle differences, i guess. I've given up explaining it to people.

[JohnFen]

I agree, it's already lost.

The question then becomes -- since "crypto" no longer means "cryptography" -- what new shorthand term do we use?

[throwvirtever]

You abandon the shorthand altogether, so that "cryptography" and "cryptocurrency" are distinguished the same way that "astronomy" and "astrology" are.

[rsj_hn]

I prefer to just keep using "crypto" and confuse the outsiders with my own crypto-jargon

[snak]

At least "cryptos" in plural is clearly for crypto currencies (I don't think anyone uses "cryptographies").

[kube-system]

Just "crypto". Many words have multiple meanings, and we use context to figure it out.

[redwood]

"encryption"

[jjice]

Mentioning a cryptography course I took in uni as 'crypto' always gets confused looks as to why we had a cryptocurrency course.