Vape Glossary: A-Z of Vaping & Electronic Cigarettes

The world of electronic cigarettes has a history stretching back to 1930, when the first reference to e-cigarette was documented. Technological advances have transformed the industry immensely and contributed to its expansion. 

Today, the vaping world can be confusing even for seasoned users due to the rising number of vape terms used to describe the ever-increasing array of products. So whether you’re a veteran or a new vaper, here is the A-Z glossary with every vaping terminology that you should know. 

A

Adapter (Connector): A piece of hardware that connects the battery to the tank. Adapters are also used for drip tips, mods, and extensions to extend the battery power. 

Adjustable Airflow: The opening enables the porting of air through vaping devices to efficiently produce vapor.

Advanced Personal Vaporizer (APV): Advanced Personal Vaporizer (APV) is an alternative term for modern vapes. 

All Day Vape (ADV): Any e-liquid or flavor that’s suitable for extended vaping, possibly an entire day. 

Amps: The shortened term meaning ampere, the unit that measures electrical current. 

Analog Cigarette: An alternative name for conventional tobacco cigarettes.

ASH: It is the abbreviated form of Action on Smoking and Health. This is an organization that opposes vaping.

Atomized Nicotine Utilizing Smoker (ANUS): Playful word that is sometimes used to denote new vapers.

Atomizer (Atty): The electronic hardware that converts the nicotine content found in e-juices like salt nic flavors into vapor 

B

Batteries: Fall into two major categories: external and in-built. 

Box Mods: These are modern vaporizers with simple designs and advanced features all enclosed in box-style cases, for example, the VAPORESSO MODS.

Boxies: Humorous term used to describe vapers that prefer box mods.

Bottom Coil Clearomizer (BCC): A clearomizer with the heating coil and atomizer found below the clearomizer. 

Bottom Dual Coil Clearomizer (BDC): Has two coils instead of one. Usually produces more vapor and powerful throat hits.

Bottom Vertical Coil Clearomizer (BVC): A vertically configured single coil in a bottom coil clearomizer offers enhanced airflow. 

Bridge: It is the covering of the coils of some atomizers. 

Buck: A power converter, usually DC-DC, helps step up current while stepping down the voltage. 

C

Cartomizer: The evolved version of the cartridge and atomizer that earlier e-cigs had. 

Carts: Short form of cartridges.

Ceramic Coils: Refers to the variety of coils that makers claim last longer and provide more vapor and flavor. 

CBD: The abbreviation for Cannabidiol, one of the essential active compounds found in the cannabis plant. It lacks any psychoactive properties and shows several promising therapeutic benefits. 

Charger: The USB cable used to charge your vaping device. 

Clapton: A unique kind of coil configuration with a thin wire wound around a thicker coil to increase the total surface area for the wick. 

Clearomizer (Cartomizer/Tank): A combination of atomizer and cartridge with transparent walls so users can see the amount of e-liquid left remaining in the tank. 

Cigalikes: A cigarette look-alike that’s actually an electronic cigarette. 

Cloud Chasing: The constant pursuit of bigger clouds among vapers (person called Cloud Chaser) 

Coil: The component in the vape device that vaporizes e-liquid. 

Clone: A replica of a trademarked vaping device. Most leading brands now come with authenticity stickers. 

Cotton: The typical wick material of coils. There are two common types of cotton used to re-wick coils in RDAs and RBA: Egyptian and Japanese. 

Custom Mod: A device that has undergone some customizations to fit the user’s preferences. 

D

Diacetyl: Name of a dangerous compound found in minute quantities in some e-liquid, but cigarettes have considerably higher amounts. 

Disposable E-Cigarette: Types of e-cigs that are discarded when their e-juice finishes; an example is the Hyde disposable vape. 

Dipping: Describes users immersing an atomizer into e-liquid before the first use. 

Direct-to-Lung: Unlike Mouth-to-Lung vaping, the vapor produced goes directly to your lung without holding it in your mouth. 

DNA Chipset: Type of chipset that allows users to determine the delivery of power to vape devices. 

DNA Mod: The collective name for mods that support DNA chipsets. 

Drip Shield: A piece of hardware used to prevent e-liquid from leaking when drip tips are used. 

Dripping: The use of a customized mod to directly drip e-juice onto the coil. 

Dry Burn: Refers to the impact you feel when your heating coil lacks adequate e-liquid. 

Dry Hit: The experience you feel after vaping with a coil that’s burned out. 

Dry Smoking: Occurs after an atomizer is filled with juice. 

Drip Tips: The original term describes devices that vapers used to drip e-liquid on atomizers directly. Currently, it is also used to denote the vape mouthpiece. 

Dry Herb Kits: These comprise Dry Herb Tanks and Dry Herb Vaporizers and work in similar ways as the vape clearance kit by heating your tobacco or any herbs for inhalation. 

E

ECA/ECASSOC: Abbreviation for Electronic Cigarette Association representing e-cig manufactures’ interests and enforcing high standards in the US. 

ECF: Short form of electronic cigarette Forum.

ECR: Shorted name of E-Cigarette Reddit. 

eGo: An early model of e-cigarette designed by JoyTech, the term currently refers to a kind of fitting for a cartomizer or clearomizer 

Electronic Cigar: It looks like an e-cigarette but with the design and flavor of a traditional cigarette. 

Electronic Cigarette (e-cig): A e-cigarette having an atomizer used to vaporize the e-juice that users inhale as vapor. It is also called e-cig or e-cigarette. 

E-liquid (Vape Juice/E-Juice): A solution containing ingredients like nicotine, vegetable glycerine, and propylene glycol. Some contain nicotine. 

ENDs: Electronic Nicotine Devices. It’s another name for devices commonly used in scientific papers based on e-cigarettes.

E-Pipe: A device that retains the same form as the traditional tobacco pipe but relies on e-liquid and electronic means for vaping. 

E-Smoking: The use of an e-cig or other traditional tobacco products.

F

Favor Cigarette: Among the earliest smokeless cigarettes ever manufactured. 

Fins: High metallic ridges typically used in the tank’s drip tip for dissipating heat 

Filling: Normally used to describe the material that helps pack a cartomizer. It may also be termed filler or wadding and serves as the wick’s elongation. 

Flavor Chasers: Users that prioritize flavor over vapor. 

Flooding: It happens when e-liquid rushes into the atomizer.

G

Genesis Atomizer: An RBA style containing a tank under the deck of the tank.

Grub Screws: Common screw found on the decks of rebuilders RBAs or RDAs that hold the coil in position. 

H

Herbert Gilbert: Regarded by most people as the actual creator of the vape. He patented the design and built an inhalation device powered by a battery in the 1960s. 

Hookah Pen: Another name is shisha pen, and it was a formerly popular design of vape device. It’s usually slender and long. 

Hot Spots: A term used to describe the heated parts on clearomizer coils; that can result in bad taste or burning. There are features in certain regulated mods for preventing this. 

Hybrid: The type of mechanical mod vape device lacking the 510 connection or ego, with the tank directly screwed atop the power source. 

I

Innokin: A Chinese vape company famous for manufacturing advanced personal vaporizers.

J

Joules: The unit used to measure energy. 

K

Kanthal Wire: The branded name for a collection of alloy used to make resistance coils. 

L

LED: Abbreviation for Light Emitting Diode. It brightens at the tip of e-cigs when vapers inhale to mimic analog cigarettes. 

Li-Po/Li-Ion: Full meaning is Lithium Polymer and Lithium-Ion batteries. 

Low Resistance(LR): Short expression of low resistance, used to denote the ohms of an atomizer. 

Lung Hit (DL/Direct Lung): A direct lung hit gotten from vapor that’s coming from your vape. 

M

mAH: The abbreviated form of Milliamp-hour.

Mechanical Mod (Mech Mod): A vape device that comes with a switch and has a battery but lacks any protection or adjustments. 

Mod: Originally used to explain a modified e-cig having an exclusive design. 

Mouthpiece: A e-cig component that replaces the end of a regular cigarette. 

Mouth to Lung (MTL): Vaping involving inhalation into the user’s mouth where vapor is held before inhaling.

N

Nic Base: Shortened nicotine base used for mixing with different flavors; it commonly comes in a VG/PG mix without flavors. 

Nichrome/Nickel Wire (Ni200): Nichrome wire or Nickel Chrome can help determine the coil temperature in TC mods. 

NNA: Abbreviation for New Nicotine Alliance. 

Norman L Jacobson: Popular for pioneering the word vaping 

O

Ohms: The unit that measures electrical resistance 

Organic Cotton: Wick material, mainly Japanese cotton, is usually preferred by most vapers for wicks. 

O-ring: A ring made of rubber found at some parts of tanks to enable safe and convenient screwing and unscrewing

P

Passthrough: Vape devices that connect directly to a power source via a USB charger

PCC: Portable charging case/personal charger case

Pen-Style: Types of e-cigs that are identical to the ballpoint pen. 

Personal Electronic Nicotine Inhaler System (PENIS): A humorous term used to describe the e-cigarette 

Personal Vaporizer (PV): An alternative term for the e-cig. 

Priming: The practice of soaking a new coil before first use. 

Propylene Glycol (PG): A colorless liquid that accounts for the major portion of the volume of the juice. 

R

Re-Buildable Atomizer (RBA): An RBA enables users to customize the tank’s coil and atomizer. 

Rebuildable Drip Atomizers (RDA): An RDA is also known as a dripper because users need to frequently re-drip the e-liquid. 

Rebuildable Tank Atomizers (RTA): Identical to the RDA and RBA but consists of a coil, wick system, and clearomizer basin. 

Regulated Mods: A kind of cig battery having a circuit board for regulating the current by changing the wattage and voltage. 

Resistance: The resistance of the coil located in the atomizer. 

Ruyan Cigarette: The earliest contemporary e-cigarette invented by Hon Lik 

S

Second Generation E-cigarettes: Commonly used among scientists to describe tank system vapes. 

Silica: The material formerly used as wicking material, currently replaced by ceramic and cotton.

Shisha: Often used to refer to a type of smoking done with a Hookah kit. 

Smoke Juice: Alternative term for e-liquid. 

Smokeless Cigarette: Another phrase for e-cig. 

Snus: The Swedish type of snuff.

Squonking: Describes the squeaking of an e-juice bottle that’s directly connected to a coil in a mod. 

Stainless Steel (AKA SS, SS316, SS317): Metal used for building wicks.

Stealth Vaping: Purposely vaping to avoid detection by reducing the noticeable vapor exhaled. 

Steel Mesh: Used in the making of wicks. 

Sub-Ohm Vaping: Setting the resistance of your vape coil less than one ohm. 

T

Temperature Control (TC): Refers to regulated mods having a chipset for controlling the temperature. 

Throat Hit/Throat Kick: The feeling when the vapor hits the back of your throat. 

Titanium Coils: A substitute for nickel coils.

Topping: Also called topping off, meaning adding e-juice to a cartridge. 

Tricks: Cool maneuvers among vapers that are usually performed during exhalation of vapor. 

U

Unregulated: A word commonly associated with mechanical mods since they lack circuit boards for regulating current flow. 

V

Vape: The act of inhaling e-cigarette vapor.

Vaper: Someone that uses a vape device. 

Vaping: The pattern of using e-cigarettes. 

Vapeaversary: Celebrating the day one shifted to vaping from smoking.

Vape Porn: Typically refers to images of vape products.

Vaper’s Tongue: Describes the temporary loss of taste for flavors. 

Vegetable Glycerin (VG): A vital constituent of the e-juice responsible for the vapor produced. 

Vent Holes: Perforated holes that enable gases to leave the battery as a safety feature. 

Venting: The process of gases leaving the vent holes. 

Volts: The measurement for the amount of electricity applied in a vape device.

W

Watt: The unit used for expressing the power of your device – one watt equals one joule per second. 

Wick: A piece of material, usually cotton, located in the cartridge that absorbs vape juice. 

Wrap: A single loop of wire used in the making of a vape coil. 

X

X-Vape: Exhaling of vapor. 

Z

Zero Nic: A cartridge or vape juice that contains absolutely no traces of nicotine.