51% Attack
If more than half the computer power or mining hash rate on a network is run by a single person or a single group of people, then a 51% attack is in operation.
API
API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. APIs specify how software components should interact, such as what data to use and what actions should be taken.
ASIC
An acronym for application-specific integrated circuit — a device designed for the sole purpose of mining cryptocurrencies.
ASIC-Resistant
This term usually applies to blockchains and mining algorithms, designed to give no benefit for ASICs over consumer grade hardware.
Airdrop
A marketing campaign that distributes a specific cryptocurrency or token to an audience.
Algorithm
A process or set of rules to be followed in problem-solving or calculation operations, usually by a computer.
Algorithmic Stablecoin
An algorithmic stablecoin actually uses an algorithm underneath, which can issue more coins when its price increases and buy them off the market when the price falls.
Altcoin
As Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency that captured the world’s imagination, all other coins were subsequently termed “altcoins,” as in “alternative coins.”
Altcoin Trader
A person who trades cryptocurrencies alternative to Bitcoin.
Angel Investor
A person who financially backs a new business venture or startup.
Arbitrage
Arbitrage is the practice of quickly buying and selling the same asset in different markets to take advantage of price differences between the markets.
Asset-Backed Tokens
Asset-backed tokens are digital claims on a physical asset and are backed by that asset.
Atomic Swap
The transfer of cryptocurrency from one party to another, without the use of an exchange or other intermediary.
Audit
An audit is a process where developers inspect the underlying code and/or algorithm that compose systems and applications.
B
BEP-2 (Binance Chain Tokenization Standard)
A technical standard for tokens on Binance Chain.
BEP-20
BEP-20 is a Binance Smart Chain token standard created with the intention of extending ERC-20.
Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
The BIS is an international financial institution that promotes global monetary stability.
Banking as a Service (BaaS)
BaaS platforms provides a higher level of financial transparency options by letting banks open up their APIs for third parties in order to develop new services.
Bear
Someone who believes that prices in a given market will decline over an extended period. Such a person might be referred to as “bearish.”
Bear Trap
The attempted manipulation of a specific cryptocurrency’s price, based on the coordinated activity of a group of traders.
BitLicense
A business license permitting regulated virtual currency activities, issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
BitPay
BitPay is a Bitcoin payment service provider.
Bitcoiner
A person who is bullish on Bitcoin.
Bitcointalk
Bitcointalk is the most popular online forum dedicated to Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Block
A file containing information on transactions completed during a given time period. Blocks are the constituent parts of a blockchain.
Block Explorer
An application enabling a user to view details of blocks on a given blockchain. Also known as a blockchain browser.
Block Height
A value describing the number of blocks preceding a given block in the blockchain.
Block Reward
The coins awarded to a miner or group of miners for solving the cryptographic problem required to create a new block on a given blockchain.
Block Size
In blockchain technology, block size refers to the amount of data about transactions a single block in the chain can carry.
Block Time
Block time refers to the approximate time it takes for a blockchain-based system to produce a new block.
Blockchain
A distributed ledger system. A sequence of blocks, or units of digital information, stored consecutively in a public database. The basis for cryptocurrencies.
Blockchain 1.0
Blockchain 1.0 is the first generation of blockchain technology, which focuses on cryptocurrency and decentralization.
Blockchain 3.0
Blockchain 3.0 is the final developmental stage of blockchain technology, which predicts global, institutional and enterprise adoption.
Blockchain Explorer
A blockchain explorer is simply a search engine allowing users to browse through blockchain records.
Blockchain Trilemma
The blockchain trilemma is the set of three issues that plague blockchains: decentralization, security and scalability.
Bollinger Band
A tool developed by Bollinger to help in the recognition of systemic pattern recognition in prices; it is a band that is plotted two standard deviations away from the simple moving average, or exponential moving average in some cases.
Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong is the founder of Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the United States.
Bridges
A blockchain bridge allows the seamless transfer of data or tokens between two different blockchain projects.
Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT)
Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) is the property of a computer system that allows it to reach consensus regardless of the failure of some of its components.
Byzantine Generals’ Problem
A situation where communication that requires consensus on a single strategy from all members within a group or party cannot be trusted or verified.
C
C++
C++ is an extension of the C programming language that allows cross-platform developments and capabilities.
CeDeFi
CeDeFi, or centralized decentralized finance, combines traditional centralized financial services with decentralized applications, merging conventional regulatory policies with modern financial products and infrastructure.
Central Bank Digital Currency
CBDCs are digital currencies issued by a central bank whose status as legal tender depends on government regulation or law.
Central Ledger
A central ledger is a physical book or a computer file used to record transactions in a centralized manner.
Centralized
A centralized organizational structure is one in which a single node or a small number of them are in control of an entire network.
Centralized Exchange (CEX)
Centralized exchanges (CEXs) are a type of cryptocurrency exchange that is operated by a company that owns it in a centralized manner.
Chain Split
Chain splits are another term used to describe cryptocurrency forks — the separation of a single original coin into several independently managed projects.
Change
Change — a concept relevant to cryptocurrencies that use the UTXO model — is the number of coins sent back to a user after they use their unspent outputs to initiate a transaction.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ)
Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is the founder of crypto exchange Binance.
Circulating Supply
The best approximation of the number of coins that are circulating in the market and in the general public’s hands.
Client
A client is software that can access and process blockchain transactions on a local computer. A common application of this is a cryptocurrency software wallet.
Coin
A coin can refer to a cryptocurrency that can operate independently or to a single unit of such cryptocurrency.
Coin Mixer
Coin mixers allow users to mix up transactions between different cryptocurrency addresses, so they become untraceable and cannot be followed back to the initial sender or receiver of the assets.
Coinbase
In mineable cryptocurrencies, a coinbase is the number of coins that are generated from scratch and awarded to miners for mining every new block.
Cold Storage
Offline storage of cryptocurrencies, typically involving hardware non-custodial wallets, USBs, offline computers, or paper wallets.
Cold Wallet
A cryptocurrency wallet that is in cold storage, i.e. not connected to the internet.
Confirmations
A cryptocurrency transaction is considered confirmed when it is included in a block on the blockchain. Each new block after the first one is an additional confirmation for that transaction.
ConsenSys
ConsenSys is a blockchain technology company that offers developer tools alongside enterprise solutions.
Consensus
Consensus is achieved when all participants of the network agree on the order and content of the blocks in the blockchain.
Consensus Mechanism
A consensus mechanism is an underlying technology behind the main functionalities of all blockchain technology, which makes them an essential operating feature of all cryptocurrencies.
Consortium Blockchain
A privately owned and operated blockchain where a consortium shares information not readily available to the public, while relying on the immutable and transparent properties of the blockchain.
Contract Account
A contract account is an account that has a crypto balance and associated code.
Core Wallet
A core crypto wallet is able to contain the entire blockchain, rather than just a piece of a blockchain.
Correction
A correction is a pullback of an asset’s price of at least 10% to adjust for over-valuation.
Craig Wright
Craig Wright is an Australian computer scientist that has publicly claimed to be Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto.
Cross-Chain
Cross-chain is a technology that enhances the interconnection between blockchain networks by allowing the exchange of information and value.
Cross-Chain Communication
Cross-chain communication between blockchains allows different protocols to verify data and transactions without the intervention of a centralized third-party service.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding enables fundraisers to collect money from a large number of people through a variety of different platforms.
Crypto Debit Card
A crypto debit card is a type of debit card that allows its holder to pay for goods and services using cryptocurrencies.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that use cryptographic technologies to secure their operation.
Cryptocurrency Money Laundering
Cryptocurrency money laundering is a method criminals use to legitimize and enshroud funds by changing fiat to digital currency and then routing it through many pathways. It is an attempt to lose any authorities who may be tracing the money.
Cryptocurrency Pairs
Exchanges utilize cryptocurrency pairs in order to facilitate the trade between different tokens.
Cryptographic Hash Function
Cryptographic hash functions produce a fixed-size hash value from a variable-size transaction input.
Cryptography
A field of study and practice to secure information, preventing third parties from reading information to which they are not privy.
Cryptology
Cryptology is the scientific study of cryptography as well as cryptanalysis.
Custodial
Custodial cryptocurrency businesses are the ones that are in possession of their customers’ funds for the duration of the use of their services.
D
DYOR
The acronym of Do Your Own Research — encouraging investors to complete due diligence into a project before investing.
Dark Web
A portion of the internet existing on darknets not indexed by search engines, that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations or authorizations.
Data Privacy
Data privacy refers to the area of data protection and security that is responsible for the handling of sensitive data.
Day Trading
Day trading is the practice of frequently buying and selling assets in order to make a profit on intraday changes in their price.
DeFi
A movement encouraging alternatives to traditional, centralized forms of financial services.
DeFi Aggregator
A DeFi aggregator brings together trades across various DeFi platforms into one place.
DeFi Degens
DeFi degenerates. A subculture associated with a disreputable corner of decentralized finance known for pump and dump schemes.
Decentralized
Decentralization refers to the property of a system in which nodes or actors work in concert in a distributed fashion to achieve a common goal.
Decentralized Applications (DApps)
A type of application that runs on a decentralized network, avoiding a single point of failure.
Decentralized Autonomous Initial Coin Offerings (DAICO)
A method for decentralized funding of projects that introduces a form of governance in the ICO process, allowing backers to vote for the return of their funds if certain conditions are met.
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO)
A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is founded upon and governed by a set of computer-defined rules and blockchain-based smart contracts.
Decentralized Exchange (DEX)
A peer-to-peer exchange allowing users to trade cryptocurrency without the need for an intermediary.
Decryption
The process of transforming encrypted data back into a format that is readable by a user or machine.
Deep Web
The "deep web" is the part of the internet that is hidden from regular search engines.
Deflation
A decline in the general level of prices for goods and services in an economy.
Delegated Proof-of-Stake (dPOS)
An alternative to the Proof-of-Stake and Proof-of-Work consensus algorithms.
Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack
A denial-of-service attack aims to temporarily make a computer or network service unavailable to its intended users.
Depth Chart
A graph that plots the requests to buy (bids) and the requests to sell (asks) on a chart, based on limit orders. The chart shows the point at which the market is most likely to accept a transaction.
Derivative
A financial instrument deriving its value from the value of an underlying asset.
Derivatives Market
A public market for derivatives, instruments such as futures contracts or options, which are derived from other forms of cryptocurrency assets.
Digital Currency
A currency that exists only in digital form, as opposed to traditional physical currencies.
Digital Identity
Information used by a person or entity to identify themselves to a computer or network.
Digital Signature
A method for proving the authenticity of a digital communication.
Distributed Consensus
Collective agreement reached among nodes in a network.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack
An attempt by a bad actor to disrupt the operation of an application, server or network by flooding it with traffic.
Distributed Ledger
Distributed ledgers are ledgers in which data is stored across a network of decentralized nodes. A distributed ledger does not necessarily involve a cryptocurrency and may be permissioned and private.
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)
A database that is shared by multiple participants, in multiple places. The basis for blockchains.
Distributed Network
A network in which the data and applications are dependent on multiple sources, as opposed to one location.
Dominance
A measure of Bitcoin's value in the context of the larger cryptocurrency market.
Dorian Nakamoto
Dorian Nakamoto is a Japanese-American physicist who some believe to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
Double Spending
The potential for a digital currency to be spent twice.
E
E-Signature
An electronic signature, or e-signature, is any electronic mark (sign, sound, symbol, etc.) used in the palace of a physical signature in signing a document or contract.
ELI5
Short for “explain like I’m five” — a plea for simplicity when crypto concepts are being explained.
ERC-20
Tokens designed and used solely on the Ethereum platform.
ERC-721
A token standard for non-fungible Ethereum tokens.
Elliott Waves
The Elliott Wave Theory is an essential tool for many stock and crypto market traders.
Emission
The speed at which new coins are produced and released.
Encryption
Encryption is a method through which information can be made into code.
Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA)
A group of organizations and companies working together to further develop the Ethereum network.
Ether
The form of payment used in the operation of the distribution application platform, Ethereum.
Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)
A Turing-complete virtual machine that enables execution of code exactly as intended; it is the runtime environment for every smart contract. Every Ethereum node runs on the EVM to maintain consensus across the blockchain.
Exchange
Businesses that allow customers to trade cryptocurrencies for fiat money or other cryptocurrencies.
Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)
A security that tracks a basket of assets such as stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies but can be traded like a single stock.
F
FOMO
An acronym that stands for "Fear of Missing Out."
Faucet
A cryptocurrency reward system usually on a website or app, that rewards users for completing certain tasks.
Fiat
Fiat currency is “legal tender” backed by a central government, such as the Federal Reserve, and with its own banking system, such as fractional reserve banking. It can take the form of physical cash, or it can be represented electronically, such as with bank credit.
Fiat On-Ramp
A fiat-on ramp is a way to get cryptocurrency from fiat, or regular money.
Fiat-Pegged Cryptocurrency
A coin, token or asset issued on a blockchain that is linked to a government or bank-issued currency.
First In, First Out
First in, First Out (FIFO) is an inventory method used to specify your cost-basis when calculating your taxes.
Flash Crash
A flash crash is a market condition where an asset’s price falls very rapidly within a very brief time interval.
Flash Loan Attack
Flash loan attacks are when malicious actors exploit a smart contract.
Flash Loans
Flash loans are a type of uncollateralized lending used in decentralized finance (DeFi).
Flippening
A hypothetical scenario where Ethereum's market cap overtakes Bitcoin's.
Flipping
An investment strategy where you buy something with the goal of reselling for a profit later, usually in a short period of time.
Fork (Blockchain)
Forks, or chain splits, create an alternate version of the blockchain, leaving two blockchains to run simultaneously.
Fork (Software)
When an entirely new program has been developed from source code, taken from an open source software.
Fractional Stablecoins
A fractional stablecoin is one that is backed in two ways: collaterally-backed and algorithmically modified.
Full Node
Nodes that download a blockchain’s entire history in order to observe and enforce its rules.
Fundamental Analysis (FA)
A method in which you research the underlying value of an asset by looking at the technology, team, growth prospects and other indicators. Some people perform fundamental analysis as part of an investment strategy called “value investing.”
Fungible
In cryptocurrency, fungibility is when a coin or token can be replaced by any other identical coin or token.
Futures
A futures contract is a standardized legal agreement to buy or sell a particular commodity or asset at a predetermined price at a specified time in the future.
G
Gains
Gains refer to an increase in value or profit.
Gas
A term used on the Ethereum platform that refers to a unit of measuring the computational effort of conducting transactions or smart contracts, or launch DApps in the Ethereum network. It is the “fuel” of the Ethereum network. *see Gas Limit and Gas Price.
Gas Limit
A term used on the Ethereum platform that refers to the maximum amount of gas the user is willing to spend on a transaction.
Gas Price
A term used on the Ethereum platform that refers to the price you are willing to pay for a transaction.
Gavin Wood
Gavin Wood is the co-founder of Parity Technologies, and one of the founders of Ethereum.
Gems
Gem is a term for relatively unknown low-cap coins that have immense potential or are grossly undervalued.
Genesis Block
The first block of data that is processed and validated to form a new blockchain, often referred to as block 0 or block 1.
Geotagged NFT
Geotagged non-fungible tokens (NFT) feature 3D versions of the street art alongside the corresponding geo-location. They allows art aficionados to own both the virtual and physical artwork without the need to remove the actual infrastructure it was originally painted on.
Geth
Geth, short for Go Ethereum, is a command-line interface that allows developers to run full Ethereum nodes, mine the cryptocurrency and execute smart contracts.
GitHub
GitHub is one of the most popular code hosting platforms, allowing developers to collaborate on various projects.
Gold-Backed Cryptocurrency
A coin or token issued that represents a value of gold; for example, one physical gram of gold equals one coin.
Governance
In the world of cryptocurrencies, governance is defined as the people or organizations that have decision-making powers regarding the project.
Governance Token
A governance token is a token that can be used to vote on decisions that influence an ecosystem.
Gwei
The denomination used in defining the cost of gas in transactions involving Ether.
H
HODL
A type of passive investment strategy where you hold an investment for a long period of time, regardless of any changes in the price or markets. The term first became famous due to a typo made in a Bitcoin forum, and the term is now commonly expanded to stand for “Hold On for Dear Life.”
Hacking
Hacking is the process of using a computer to manipulate another computer or computer system in an unauthorized fashion.
Hal Finney
Hal Finney was a cryptographer and programmer who pioneered Bitcoin’s development and worked with Satoshi Nakamoto.
Halving
An event in which the total rewards per confirmed block halves.
Hard Cap
A hard cap is the absolute maximum supply of a digital asset.
Hard Fork (Blockchain)
A type of protocol change that validates all previously invalid transactions, and invalidates all previously valid transactions.
Hardware Wallet
A hardware wallet is a wallet for cryptocurrencies that usually resemble a USB stick.
Hash
The act of performing a hash function on input data of arbitrary size, with an output of fixed length that looks random and from which no data can be recovered without a cipher. An important property of a hash is that the output of hashing a particular document will always be the same when using the same algorithm.
Hash Function
Any function used to map data of arbitrary size to data of a fixed size. *see Cryptographic Hash Function.
Hash Power / Hash Rate
A unit of measurement for the amount of computing power being consumed by the network to continuously operate.
Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet (HD Wallet)
A wallet that uses Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) protocol to support the generation of crypto-wallets from a single master seed using 12 mnemonic phrases. *see Deterministic Wallet.
Honeyminer
Honeyminer is a cryptocurrency mining app available for download on multiple devices.
Hosted Wallet
A wallet managed by a third-party service.
Hot Storage
The online storage of private keys allowing for quicker access to cryptocurrencies. *see Cold Storage.
Hot Wallet
A cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the internet for hot storage of cryptoassets, as opposed to an offline, cold wallet with cold storage. *See Cold Wallet.
Hybrid PoW/PoS
A hybrid PoW/PoS allows for both proof-of-stake and proof-of-work as consensus distribution algorithms on the network. This approach aims to bring together the security of PoW consensus and the governance and energy efficiency of PoS.
I
Immutable
A property that defines the inability to be changed, especially over time.
Impermanent Loss
Impermanent loss is when a liquidity provider has a temporary loss of funds because of volatility in a trading pair.
In-the-Money / Out-of-the-Money
In-the-money and out-of-the-money are options trading mechanisms that allow investors to benefit from additional tools to work with the market.
Infinite Approval
Pre-approving smart contracts to enable the platform to spend any amount of your coins.
Infinite Mint Attack
An infinite mint attack occurs when an unwanted entity or hacker mints an absurd ("infinite") amount of tokens within a protocol.
Initial Bounty Offering (IBO)
A novel way of launching a project that focuses on people contributing skills to a platform rather than money.
Initial Coin Offering (ICO)
Short for Initial Coin Offering, an ICO is a type of crowdfunding, or crowdsale, using cryptocurrencies as a means of raising capital for early-stage companies.
Initial Dex Offering
An initial dex offering (IDX) is an alternative to an initial coin offering (ICO).
Initial Exchange Offering
A type of crowdfunding where crypto start-ups generate capital by listing through an exchange.
Initial Token Offering (ITO)
ITOs are similar to initial coin offerings — but have more of a focus on offering tokens with intrinsic utility in the form of software or usage in an ecosystem.
Instamine
When a large portion of a coin’s total supply is distributed to investors shortly after launch.
Interest Rates
A time-dependent charge or return made in proportion to the amount of money deposited, borrowed or lent.
Intermediary/Middleman
A person or entity that acts as the go-between different parties to bring about agreements or carry out directives.
Internet of Things
Internet of Things (IoT) is a global interconnected network of devices, sensors and software that can collect and exchange data with each other in real-time over the Internet.
Invest
Investing is when you put money in a financial scheme with the intent of making a gain.
J, K, L
JOMO
The opposite state of JOMO stands for “Joy of Missing Out.”
Java
Java is a general-purpose, class-based as well as object-oriented programming language.
Keylogger
A keylogger or keystroke logging software is a spying tool often used by hackers to record keystrokes made by users.
Know Your Customer (KYC)
Short for Know Your Customer, these are checks that crypto exchanges and trading platforms must complete to verify the identity of their customers.
Lambo
Slang for the type of car that many crypto enthusiasts aspire to buy when their digital assets “moon” — or rise in value substantially.
Layer 0
Layer 0 is a network framework running beneath the blockchain. It is made up of protocols, connections, hardware, miners, and everything else that forms the foundation of the blockchain ecosystem.
Layer 2
Layer 2 is the name given to a scaling solution that enables high throughput of transactions whilst fully inheriting the security of the underlying blockchain that it is built on.
Layer-1 Blockchain
A layer-1 blockchain is a set of solutions that improve the base protocol itself
Ledger
A record of financial transactions that cannot be changed, only appended with new transactions.
Leverage
Money that a trader borrows from a brokerage, enabling them to gain far greater exposure to a position than what their capital allows.
Light Node
Light nodes are typically downloaded wallets and are connected to full nodes to further validate the information that is stored on the blockchain.
Lightning Network
A second-layer protocol that is designed to solve Bitcoin’s scalability problem by allowing transactions to be processed more quickly.
Limit Order
A limit order is a type of order to purchase or sell a security at a specified price or a better one.
Limit Order/Limit Buy/Limit Sell
Tools that enable traders to automatically buy or sell cryptocurrencies on a trading platform when a certain price target is reached.
Liquidation
Liquidation refers to the conversion of an asset or cryptocurrency for fiat or its equivalents.
Liquidity
How easily a cryptocurrency can be bought and sold without impacting the overall market price.
Liquidity Bootstrapping Pool (LBP)
A liquidity bootstrapping pool is essentially a contract that manages a core pool containing tokens to be used on an exchange.
Liquidity Pool
Liquidity pools are crypto assets that are kept to facilitate the trading of trading pairs on decentralized exchanges.
Liquidity Provider
Liquidity providers are decentralized exchange users who fund a liquidity pool with tokens they own.
Liquidity Provider Tokens (LP Tokens)
Liquidity provider tokens or LP tokens are tokens issued to liquidity providers on a decentralized exchange (DEX) that run on an automated market maker (AMM) protocol.
Liveness
A guarantee that a system will continue to provide data, and that no centralized authority can shut down its services.
Long
A situation where you buy a cryptocurrency with the expectation of selling it at a higher price for profit later.
M
Mainnet
An independent blockchain running its own network with its own technology and protocol.
Malware
Malware or malicious software refers to harmful programs utilized by bad actors to illegally access and/or compromise a computer, network or server.
Margin Call
When an investor’s account value falls below the margin maintenance amount.
Margin Trading
A practice where a trader uses borrowed funds from a broker to trade a cryptocurrency.
Market
An area or arena, online or offline, in which commercial dealings are conducted.
Market Capitalization/Market Cap/MCAP
Total capitalization of a cryptocurrency’s price. It is one of the ways to rank the relative size of a cryptocurrency. *see Circulating Supply.
Market Maker, Market Taker
The maker places an order (to buy or sell at a quoted price), while a taker accepts that placed order (to execute the buy or sell at the quoted price)
Masternodes
Masternodes are a server maintained by its owner, somewhat like full nodes, but with additional functionalities such as anonymizing transactions, clearing transactions, and participating in governance and voting. It was initially popularized by Dash to reward owners of these servers for maintaining a service for the blockchain.
Max Supply
The best approximation of the maximum amount of coins that will ever exist in the lifetime of the cryptocurrency. *see Circulating Supply and Total Supply.
Medium of Exchange
A medium of exchange can be seen as an intermediary instrument or system that is used to facilitate a sale, purchase or even trade of goods between parties.
Mempool
A mempool is the node's collection of all of the unconfirmed transactions that it has seen.
Merkle Tree
A tree structure in cryptography, in which every leaf node is labelled with the hash of a data block and every non-leaf node is labelled with the cryptographic hash of the labels of its child nodes. Hash trees allow efficient and secure verification of the contents of blockchains, as each change propagates upwards so verification can be done by simply looking at the top hash.
MetaMask
An online digital wallet that allows users to manage, transfer and receive Ethereum, operating as an extension to a regular browser.
Micropayment
A micropayment is essentially a small transaction that is carried out online and can be as small as a fraction of a cent.
Microtransaction
A business model where very small payments can be made in exchange for common digital goods and services, such as pages of an ebook or items in a game.
Mineable
Some cryptocurrencies have a system through which miners can be rewarded with newly-created cryptocurrencies for creating blocks through contributing their hash power. Cryptocurrencies with this ability to generate new cryptocurrencies through the process of confirmation is said to be mineable. * Not Mineable Some cryptocurrencies are generated only through other mechanisms, such as annual inflation through staking. These cryptocurrencies are said to be not mineable.
Miner Extractable Value (MEV)
Miner extractable value (MEV) is a measure of the profit a miner can make through their ability to arbitrarily include, exclude, or re-order transactions within the blocks they produce.
Miners
Contributors to a blockchain taking part in the process of mining. They can be professional miners or organizations with large-scale operations, or hobbyists who set up mining rigs at home or in the office.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product that has enough features to attract early-adopter customers and validate a product idea.
Mining
A process where blocks are added to a blockchain, verifying transactions. It is also the process through which new bitcoin or some altcoins are created.
Mining Contract
Another term for cloud mining, where users can rent or invest in mining capacity online.
Mining Difficulty
The mining difficulty of a cryptocurrency is how difficult it is to find the right hash for the next block.
Mining Farm
A mining farm is when a group of miners mine together for a variety of advantageous reasons, like energy use.
Mining Pool
An arrangement where a number of miners pool their resources to increase their chances of finding the next block.
Mining Reward
The income that miners receive after finding and validating a block.
Mining Rewards
Mining rewards are the rewards that crypto miners receive for mining a new block on the blockchain.
Mining Rig
Equipment that is used for mining cryptocurrencies.
Mnemonic Phrase
A list of words used in sequence to access or restore your crypto assets.
Mnemonics
Mnemonics are memory aids with a system such as letters or associations that help in recall. *see Mnemonic Phrase.
Mobile Wallet
A mobile wallet is a crypto wallet installed on a mobile device.
Money Transmitter/Money Transfer License
A business entity that provides money transfer services or payment instruments.
Moon
A situation where there is a continuous upward movement in the price of a cryptocurrency. Often used in communities to question when a cryptocurrency will experience such a phenomenon, saying “When moon?” It is usually combined with “When Lambo?”
Moore's Law
Moore's Law states that computers' speed and capability will increase every year, even as cost goes down.
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)
A technical analysis method.
Mt. Gox
A crypto exchange for buying and selling Bitcoin that closed in 2014 after a major hack.
Multi-Party Computation
Multi-party computation (MPC) is a cryptographic mechanism that distributes computation operations across several parties where no singular entity can see the other parties’ data.
Multi-Signature (Multi-Sig)
An added layer of security by requiring more than one key to authorize a transaction.
Multisignature
Multisignature crypto wallets require more than a single signature to sign a transaction.
N
Network
A network refers to all nodes in the operation of a blockchain at any given moment in time.
Nick Szabo
Nick Szabo is the inventor of Bit Gold and the use of smart contracts.
Nifty Gateway
Nifty Gateway is an NFT platform owned by the Winklevoss twins.
No-Coiner
A no-coiner is someone who has no cryptocurrency in his or her investment portfolio and firmly believes that cryptocurrency in general will fail.
Node
The most basic unit of blockchain infrastructure that stores data.
Non-Custodial
Usually referring to the storage of keys, in relation to wallets or exchanges, a non-custodial setup is one in which private keys are held by the user directly.
Non-Fungible Token
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cryptocurrencies that do not possess the property of fungibility.
Nonce
When a transaction is hashed by a miner, an arbitrary number meant to be used only once is generated, called a nonce.
O
Off-Ledger Currency
A currency that is created (minted) outside of the specified blockchain ledger but is accepted or used.
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
The Office of the Comptroller (OCC) is a U.S. Treasury branch that regulates all national banks, federal savings associations, federal branches and foreign bank agencies
Offline Storage
The act of storing cryptocurrencies in devices or systems not connected to the internet.
On-Chain
Transactions that are recorded on the blockchain itself and shared with all of the participants are done on-chain.
On-Ledger Currency
A currency that is both minted on the blockchain ledger and also used on the blockchain ledger, such as Bitcoin.
One Cancels the Other Order (OCO)
A situation where two orders for cryptocurrency are placed simultaneously, with a rule in place to enforce that if one is accepted, the other is cancelled.
Online Storage
The act of storing cryptocurrencies in devices or systems connected to the internet.
Open Source
Open source is a philosophy, with participants believing in the free and open sharing of information in pursuit of the greater common good.
Open/Close
The price at which a cryptocurrency opens at a time period or the programming principle of software parts being extendable.
OpenSea
OpenSea is a decentralized P2P platform for NFTs.
Optimistic Rollup
An optimistic rollup is a type layer 2 scaling solution that relies on off-chain computation to trustlessly record transactions that happen in the layer 2.
Options Market
A public market for options, giving the buyer an option to buy or sell a cryptocurrency at a specific strike price, on or before a specific date.
Oracle Manipulation
Oracle manipulation is when an oracle smart contract is manipulated by hackers.
Oracles
An agent that finds and verifies information, bridging the real world and the blockchain by providing data to smart contracts for execution of said contracts under specified conditions.
Order Book
An order book comprises different key information regarding an asset.
Orphan
A valid block on the blockchain that is not part of the main chain.
Orphaned Block
An orphaned block is a block where the parent block does not exist or is unknown.
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Trading
Over-the-counter refers to the process of how securities are traded through a broker-dealer network as opposed to a centralized exchange.
Overbought
When a cryptocurrency has been purchased by more and more investors over time, with its price increasing for an extended period of time.
Oversold
When a cryptocurrency has been sold by more and more investors over time, with its price decreasing for an extended period of time.
P
Pair
Trade between one cryptocurrency and another, for example, the trading pair BTC/ETH.
Paper Wallet
A physical document containing your private key or seed phrase.
Parachain
Parachains are application-specific data structures that run in parallel to each other within Polkadot.
Password Manager
A password manager is a tool or software that stores all sorts of passwords needed for online applications and services.
Paul Le Roux
Paul Le Roux is a criminal kingpin that many believe could be the founder of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P)
The decentralized interactions between parties in a distributed network, partitioning tasks or workloads between peers.
Peg
A “peg” is a specified price for the rate of exchange between two assets.
Pegged Currency
A stablecoin is a currency whose value is pegged to a real-world asset, such as a fiat currency.
Permissioned Ledger
A ledger designed with restrictions, such that only people or organizations requiring access have permission to access it.
Permissionless
Often used to describe blockchains, a system is said to be permissionless when there is no entity that can regulate who can use it and how it can be used.
Phishing
When a scammer pretends to be a trusted institution or person to trick people into revealing sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, passwords, banking details, etc., often through a malware link disguised as legitimate.
Phone Phishing
Phone phishing, also known as a telephone scam or vishing (voice phishing), refers to the practice of using fraudulent and malicious phone calls to extort money or sensitive information from victims.
Physical Bitcoins
A physical Bitcoin is a physical token that usually has an intricate design, as well as a public key and private key.
Platform
On CoinMarketCap, platform refers to the parent blockchain of tokens. It may also refer to a cryptocurrency exchange on which you may trade cryptocurrencies.
Pre-Mine
When some or all of a coin’s initial supply is generated during or before the public launch.
Pre-Sale
The sale of a cryptocurrency, ahead of it going public, to specific investors.
Private Blockchain
A private blockchain is a type of blockchain in which only a single organization has authority over the network.
Private Key/Secret Key
A piece of code generated in asymmetric-key encryption process, paired with a public key, to be used in decrypting information hashed with the public key.
Programmability
Programmability implies that something is capable of following instructions.
Proof-of-Authority (PoA)
A blockchain consensus mechanism that delivers comparatively fast transactions using identity as a stake.
Proof-of-Burn
Proof-of-burn is an attempt at creating a system that can prevent fraudulent transactions on a blockchain and can also improve the overall efficiency and functioning of the blockchain.
Proof-of-Burn (PoB)
A blockchain consensus mechanism aiming to bootstrap one blockchain to another with increased energy efficiency, by verifying that a cost was incurred in “burning” a coin by sending it to an unspendable address.
Proof-of-Developer (PoD)
Any verification that provides evidence of a real, living software developer who created a cryptocurrency, in order to prevent an anonymous developer from making away with any raised funds without delivering a working model.
Proof-of-Donation
Proof-of-donation refers to the integration of charitable donations into the functionality of a blockchain.
Proof-of-Replication
Proof-of-replication (PoRep) is the way that a storage miner proves to the network that they are storing an entirely unique copy of a piece of data.
Proof-of-Spacetime
In simplest terms, PoSt means that someone can now guarantee that they are spending a certain amount of space for storage.
Proof-of-Stake (PoS)
A blockchain consensus mechanism in addition to Proof-of-Work that maintains the integrity of blockchain.
Proof-of-Validation
Proof-of-validation (PoV) is a unique proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism that works to achieve consensus through staked validator nodes.
Proof-of-Work (PoW)
A blockchain consensus mechanism involving solving of computationally intensive puzzles to validate transactions and create new blocks. *see Proof-of-Stake (PoS).
Protocol
The set of rules that define interactions on a network, usually involving consensus, transaction validation, and network participation on a blockchain.
Pseudonymous
Writing under a false name, such as “Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Public Address
A public address is the cryptographic hash of a public key, allowing the user to use it as an address to request for payment.
Public Blockchain
A blockchain that can be accessed by anyone.
Public Key
A public key refers to a series of alphanumeric characters used to encrypt plain text messages into ciphertext.
Pump and Dump (P&D) Scheme
A form of fraud involving the artificial inflation of the price of a cryptocurrency with false and misleading positive statements.
Pyramid Scheme
A pyramid scheme is a scam with a hierarchical top-down structure.
Q
QR Code
A machine-readable label that shows information encoded into a graphical black-and-white pattern.
R
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a type of technology that uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged item or individual.
Raiden Network
An off-chain scaling solution aiming to enable near-instant, low-fee and scalable payments on the Ethereum blockchain, similar to Bitcoin's proposed Lightning Network.
Rank
The relative position of a cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware used by hackers to steal or encrypt their victims’ files to extort them for a ransom in exchange for file decryption or restoration.
Rebase
A token designed so that the circulating supply adjusts automatically according to price fluctuations.
Recovery Seed
A recovery seed is a cryptographically derived security code composed of a list of random words, typically ranging between 12 and 14.
Regulated
Regulation is when something is controlled by a specific set of rules.
Relative Strength Index (RSI)
A form of technical analysis that serves as a momentum oscillator, measuring the speed and change of price movements.
Relay Chain
The Relay Chain is the central chain that is used by the Polkadot network.
Repair Miners
Repair miners are a proposed type of mining node within the Filecoin network.
Replay Attack
Replay attacks are network security attacks where the comms between a sender and receiver is intercepted.
Replicated Ledger
A copy of a distributed ledger in a network that is distributed to all participants in a cryptocurrency network.
Resistance (Line/Level)
The highest price level of an asset during a specific period.
Revenue Participation Tokens
Revenue participation tokens are a two token system that uses one participation token and one payout token.
Reverse Indicator
A person whom you may use as an indicator of how not to place buy or sell orders because they are always wrong at predicting price movements of cryptocurrencies.
Ring CT (Confidential Transactions)
RingCT is how transaction amounts are hidden in Monero.
Ring Signature
A cryptographic digital signature that obfuscates the identities of two parties within a transaction.
Roadmap
A roadmap is a high-level visual summary that helps map out the vision as well as the direction of a specific product.
Roger Ver
Roger Ver, also known as Bitcoin Jesus, has been a long-term proponent of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.
Rug Pull
A rug pull is a type of scam where developers abandon a project and take their investors' money.
Rust
Rust is a multi-paradigm programming language, similar to C++.
Ryuk Ransomware
Ryuk ransomware is a ransomware attack first discovered in August 2018.
S
Shielded Transaction
A shielded transaction is essentially a transaction that is between two shielded addresses.
SHA-256
A cryptographic hash function that generates a 256-bit signature for a text, used in Bitcoin proof-of-work (PoW).
SIM-Swap
A type of scam that exploits two-factor authentication measures.
Satoshi (SATS)
The smallest unit of bitcoin with a value of 0.00000001 BTC.
Satoshi Nakamoto
The individual or group of individuals that created Bitcoin.
Scaling Problem
The scaling problem is the limitations of a blockchain's transaction throughout and ability to have fast and low cast transactions.
Scaling Solution
A scaling solution is a method of enable a system to expand.
Scrypt
An alternative proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm to SHA-256, used in Bitcoin mining. Scrypt mining relies more heavily on memory than on pure CPU power, aiming to reduce the advantage that ASICs have and hence increasing network participation and energy efficiency.
Second-Layer Solutions
A set of solutions built on top of a public blockchain to extend its scalability and efficiency, especially for micro-transactions or actions. Examples include Plasma, TrueBit, Lightning Network and more.
Secure Element
A secure element is a type of hardware chip that runs a specified number of applications.
Secure Multi-Party Computation (sMPC)
SMPC is a subfield of cryptography that allows parties to compute a function while keeping the inputs private.
Security Token
A security token is essentially a digital form of traditional securities.
Security Token Offering
A security token offering (STO) is a public offering where tokenized digital securities are sold.
Seed Phrase
A single starting point when deriving keys for a deterministic wallet.
Segregated Witness (SegWit)
A Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) that aimed to fix transaction malleability on Bitcoin.
Sell Wall
A situation where a large limit order has been placed to sell when a cryptocurrency reaches a certain value.
Settlement Layer
A settlement layer is a layer that essentially provides an anchor for an entire ecosystem.
Shard
Essentially, a shard is a portion of a blockchain network that has been split into multiple shards, which has its own data.
Shard Chain
In the world of cryptocurrencies, sharding can reduce the network congestion as well as increase transactions per second through the creation of new chains
Sharding
Sharding is a scaling approach that enables splitting of blockchain states into partitions containing states and transaction history, so that each shard can be processed in parallel.
Shilling
The act of enthusiastically promoting a cryptocurrency or ICO project.
Shitcoin
A coin with no obvious potential value or usage.
Short
A trading technique in which a trader borrows an asset in order to sell it, with the expectation that the price will continue to decline. In the event that the price does decline, the short seller will then buy the asset at this lower price in order to return it to the lender of the asset, making the difference in profit.
Side Chain
A blockchain ledger that runs in parallel to a primary blockchain, where there is a two-way link between the primary chain and sidechain.
Signal
Signals are a call to action to either buy or sell an asset.
Silk Road
An online black market that existed on the dark web, now shut down by the FBI.
Slippage
Slippage happens when traders have to settle for a different price than what they initially requested due to a price movement.
Smart Contract
A smart contract is a computer protocol intended to facilitate, verify or enforce a contract on the blockchain without third parties.
Smart Contract Audit
A smart contract audit is a security check done by cybersecurity professionals meant to ensure that the on-chain code behind a smart contract is devoid of bugs or security vulnerabilities.
Smart Token
Smart tokens are simply regular tokens that not only transmit value they contain but also all the information needed to execute a transaction simultaneously.
Soft Cap
The minimum amount that an initial coin offering (ICO) wants to raise.
Soft Fork (Blockchain)
A protocol upgrade where only previously valid transactions are made invalid, with most soft forks requiring miners to upgrade their mining software.
Solidity
The programming language used by Ethereum for developing smart contracts.
Spoon (Blockchain)
A hard spoon is a meta-protocol that exists on top of a blockchain.
Spot
A contract or transaction buying or selling a cryptocurrency for immediate settlement, or payment and delivery, of the cryptocurrency on the market.
Spot Market
A public market in which cryptocurrencies are traded for immediate settlement. It contrasts with a futures market, in which settlement is due at a later date.
Spyware
Spyware is a malware that records all of the activities on an electronic device.
Stablecoin
A cryptocurrency with extremely low volatility, sometimes used as a means of portfolio diversification. Examples include gold-backed cryptocurrency or fiat-pegged cryptocurrency.
Staking
Participation in a proof-of-stake (PoS) system to put your tokens in to serve as a validator to the blockchain and receive rewards.
Stale Block
A block which was successfully mined but not included on the current longest blockchain, usually because another block at the same height was added to the chain first.
State Channel
A second-layer scaling solution that reduces the total on-chain transactions necessary, moving the transactions off-chain and letting participants sign to the main chain after multiple off-chain transactions.
Storage (Decentralized)
Decentralized storage refers to the concept of storing files online by splitting them into encrypted fragments and delegating these fragments to multiple nodes on a distributed network, e.g. a blockchain.
Store of Value
A store of value is an asset, commodity or currency that can be saved, retrieved as well as exchanged in the future without it losing any value.
Substrate
Substrate is a web app development framework developed by Parity Technologies.
Symbol
The ticker of a cryptocurrency; for example, Bitcoin's symbol is BTC.
Tangle
The Tangle is a blockchain alternative developed by IOTA, using directed acyclic graphs which only builds in one single direction and in a way that it never repeats, and is quantum-computing resistant.
Taproot
Taproot is an instantiation of a soft fork for Bitcoin, intended to both improve privacy and improve other aspects tied to more complex transactions.
Technical Analysis/Trend Analysis (TA)
An evaluation method involving statistical analyses of market activity, such as price and volume. Charts and other tools are used to identify patterns to underpin and drive investment decisions.
Testnet
An alternative blockchain used by developers for testing.
Think Long Term (TLT)
A mindset where you have a longer-term investment horizon of months to years.
This Is Gentlemen
Originally an error in writing the full “This is it, gentlemen”. It is now used as an introduction for good news.
Throughput
Throughput is how many actions can be completed in a given time frame.
Ticker
An abbreviation used to uniquely identify cryptocurrencies. *see Symbol.
Timelock/Locktime
A condition for a transaction to only be processed at a certain time or block on the blockchain.
Timestamp
A form of identification for when a certain transaction occurred.
Tipset
A tipset is a set, rather than a chain, of blocks that make up a blockchain.
Token
A digital unit designed with utility in mind, providing access and use of a larger crypto economic system.
Token Generation Event
The time at which a token is issued.
Token Standard
The most common token standard today is the Ethereum Request for Comment or ERC.
Token Swap
Token swaps can refer to one of two things: 1. Direct exchange of a certain amount of one cryptocurrency token for another between users facilitated by a special exchange service. 2. Migration of a cryptocurrency token built on top of one blockchain platform to a different blockchain.
Tokenize
The process by which real-world assets are turned into something of digital value called a token, often subsequently able to offer ownership of parts of this asset to different owners.
Tokenized Securities
Tokenized securities are when the ownership of a security is materialized through the issuance of a token.
Tor
Tor is a decentralized network that anonymizes users' web traffic by encrypting it and routing it through a series of relays before it reaches its final destination.
Total Supply
The total amount of coins in existence right now, minus any coins that have been verifiably burned. *see Circulating Supply and Max Supply.
Total Value Locked (TVL)
Тotal value locked represents the number of assets that are currently being staked in a specific protocol.
Trade Volume
The amount of the cryptocurrency that has been traded in the last 24 hours.
Trading Bot
A crypto trading bot is essentially a program that is designed to automate cryptocurrency asset trading on the behalf of the trader.
Trading Volume
Тrading volume refers to the total number of shares (or tokens/coins) that have been exchanged between buyers and sellers of a given asset during trading hours of a certain day.
Transaction (TX)
The act of exchanging cryptocurrencies on a blockchain.
Transaction Fee
A payment for using the blockchain to transact.
Trojan
A trojan is a type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software.
Trustless
An environment where there is no centralized authority.
Turing-Complete
A system that in principle could be able to solve any computation problem.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is method of access that requires two different forms of authentication.
Unbanked
Unbanked refers to those that are either unable to access banking services, or choose not to.
Unconfirmed
A state in which a transaction has not been appended to the blockchain.
Unpermissioned Ledger
A public ledger that is open to anyone, without being controlled by a single owner.
Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO)
A transaction that is left unspent after being completed, similar to leftover change after making a purchase.
Unstoppable Domains
Unstoppable Domains is the name of a San-Francisco based company that provides blockchain-based domain names to users.
Utility Token
Tokens that are designed specifically to be able to help people use something.
Validator
A participant on a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain, involved in validating blocks for rewards.
Vanity Address
A cryptocurrency public address with custom letters and numbers, usually picked by its owner.
Vaporware
A cryptocurrency project that is never actually developed.
Venture Capital
A form of private equity provided to fund small, early-stage firms considered to have high growth potential.
Verification Code
A verification code is a security protection method that is used to avoid internet bots from abusing or even spamming various online services.
Vitalik Buterin
Vitalik Buterin is one of the creators of Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin.
Volatility
A statistical measure of dispersion of returns, measured by using the standard deviation or variance between returns from that same security or market index.
Volume
How much cryptocurrency has been traded over a set period, such as the past 24 hours.
Wallet
A place where cryptocurrency users can store, send and receive digital assets.
Wallstreetbets (WSB)
Wallstreetbets, otherwise known as /r/wallstreetbets or WSB, is a subreddit for participants to discuss stock and options trading.
Wash Trade
A form of market manipulation in which investors create artificial activity in the marketplace by simultaneously selling and buying the same cryptocurrencies.
Watchlist
A watchlist is a feature of the website where users can create their own lists of cryptocurrencies to follow. Alternative definition A watchlist is a set of pages a user has selected to monitor for changes.
Web 1.0
Web 1.0 is a term that is often used to describe the early version of the internet.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 describes the current state of the web, which supports more user-generated content and stability for front-end users than its predecessor, Web 1.0
Web 3.0
Web 3.0 is the coming generation of the internet.
Web3 Foundation
The Web3 Foundation was created to foster new technologies and applications in the field of decentralized web software protocols.
Wei
The smallest fraction of an Ether, with each Ether to 1000000000000000000 Wei.
Whale
A term used to describe investors who have uncommonly large amounts of crypto, especially those with enough funds to manipulate the market.
Whitelist
A list of interested participants in an initial coin offering, who registered their intent to take part or purchase in a sale.
Whitepaper
A document released by a crypto project that gives investors technical information about its concept, and a roadmap for how it plans to grow and succeed.
YTD
Stands for Year to Date.
Yield Farming
Yield farming involves earning interest by investing crypto in decentralized finance markets.
Zero Confirmation Transaction
Alternative phrasing for an unconfirmed transaction.
Zero Confirmation/Unconfirmed Transaction
A zero confirmation or unconfirmed transaction is defined as an exchange that has not yet been recorded or verified on the blockchain
Zero Knowledge Proof
Proving certain information or data is true without revealing it.
Zero Knowledge Rollup
A zero knowledge rollup is a type of layer 2 scaling solution that relies on zero knowledge cryptography
Zero-Knowledge Proof
In cryptography, a zero-knowledge proof enables one party to provide evidence that a transaction or event happened without revealing private details of that transaction or event.
Zk-SNARKs
A proof that allows one party to prove it owns certain information without revealing it.
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