I’ll be adding more to this list overtime.

Cold Storage: The practice of keeping cryptocurrency offline, often in a hardware wallet, to protect it from hacking.

Cryptocurrency: A digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security and operates independently of a central bank.

Cryptography: The practice of secure communication through the use of codes.

Decentralized: A system that is not controlled by a single entity or group.

Distributed Ledger: A shared database that is maintained by a network of computers rather than a central authority.

Fiat Currency: Traditional currency that is issued and backed by a government.

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out; the feeling that you might miss out on a potentially profitable opportunity.

Fork: A split in a cryptocurrency’s blockchain that results in the creation of a new coin.

ICO: Initial Coin Offering; a fundraising event in which a new cryptocurrency project sells part of its cryptocurrency tokens to early adopters.

Mining: The process of verifying and adding transactions to a cryptocurrency’s blockchain in exchange for a reward.

Node: A computer that is connected to a cryptocurrency’s blockchain network and helps to validate and relay transactions.

Private Key: A secret piece of data that is used to authorize cryptocurrency transactions.

Public Key: A cryptographic code that is used to receive cryptocurrency.

Satoshi: The smallest unit of a Bitcoin, named after the pseudonym of Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Smart Contract: A self-executing contract with the terms of the agreement between buyer and seller being directly written into lines of code.

Token: A digital asset that represents a specific use or value within a cryptocurrency network.

Wallet: A digital or physical device that stores cryptocurrency.

Whale: An individual or group with a significant amount of cryptocurrency.

51% Attack: A scenario in which a group of miners control more than 50% of a cryptocurrency’s mining power, allowing them to potentially manipulate the blockchain.

Altcoin: Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.

Block: A group of transactions recorded on a blockchain.

Block Reward: The reward given to a miner for successfully adding a new block to the blockchain.

Confirmation: The act of verifying a transaction and adding it to the blockchain.

Crypto Exchange: A platform that allows users to buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies.

Hash: A function that converts an input of any length into an encrypted fixed-length output.

HODL: A misspelling of “hold” that has become a popular term in the cryptocurrency community, meaning to hold onto one’s cryptocurrency rather than sell it.

Market Cap: The total value of a cryptocurrency, calculated by multiplying the current price by the circulating supply.

P2P: Peer-to-peer; a decentralized network of computers that communicate directly with each other without the need for a central server.

Proof of Stake: A consensus mechanism in which a cryptocurrency’s blockchain is secured by those who hold the most coins.

Proof of Work: A consensus mechanism in which a cryptocurrency’s blockchain is secured by miners who solve complex mathematical problems.

[1:47 PM]

Atomic Swap: A smart contract technology that enables the exchange of one cryptocurrency for another without using centralized intermediaries, such as exchanges.

Blockchain Explorer: A browser for the blockchain that allows users to view transaction data and other details on the blockchain.

Cryptojacking: The unauthorized use of someone’s computer to mine cryptocurrency.

DApp (Decentralized Application): A software application that runs on a distributed computing system, such as a blockchain.

Dust Transaction: A small value transaction that is uneconomical to process due to the cost of transaction fees.

Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP): A design document providing information to the Ethereum community, or describing a new feature for Ethereum or its processes or environment.

Gas Limit: The maximum amount of gas (the unit of computation used in transactions on the Ethereum network) that a user is willing to pay for a transaction.

Hard Cap: The maximum amount of funds a project intends to raise during an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) or other fundraising event.

Initial Coin Offering (ICO): A fundraising mechanism in which new projects sell their underlying crypto tokens in exchange for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Layer 2: A secondary protocol built on top of a blockchain to improve scalability and efficiency.

Lightning Network: A layer 2 solution for Bitcoin that enables faster and cheaper transactions by creating payment channels between users.

Market Capitalization (Market Cap): The total value of a cryptocurrency, calculated by multiplying the current price by the circulating supply.

Non-Fungible Token (NFT): A unique digital asset that represents ownership of a specific item or piece of content, such as artwork or collectibles.

Orphan Block: A block that has been solved but not accepted by the network and isn’t added to the blockchain.

Proof of Authority (PoA): A consensus mechanism in which a blockchain’s validators are pre-approved and trusted by the network’s participants.

Ring Signature: A type of digital signature that can be performed by any member of a group, making it difficult to identify the actual signer of a transaction.

Stablecoin: A cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value, often pegged to a fiat currency or commodity.

Transaction Fee: A fee charged by the network for processing a transaction.

Unpermissioned Ledger: A type of distributed ledger that allows anyone to participate in the network, validate transactions, and maintain the shared ledger

[1:49 PM]

Vitalik Buterin: The co-founder of Ethereum and one of the most influential figures in the cryptocurrency space.

Wallets: A software program that stores private and public keys and interacts with various blockchains to enable users to send and receive digital currency and monitor their balance.

Whitepaper: A document that outlines the technical details and purpose of a cryptocurrency project, often used to attract investors and provide transparency.

Zero-Knowledge Proof: A cryptographic method that allows one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any additional information.

1. Airdrop: A marketing strategy used by blockchain projects to distribute tokens to users in exchange for performing specific tasks, such as following their social media accounts or referring friends. Altcoin: Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, which is the first and most well-known cryptocurrency. (edited)
2. [1:52 PM]

Decentralized: A system that is not controlled by a single entity or group. Decentralized Finance (DeFi): A movement that aims to create financial services using decentralized networks and open-source software. Digital Signature: A mathematical scheme used to verify the authenticity and integrity of digital messages or documents

CEX: Centralized Exchange: An exchange where users can purchase on that is controlled by a team or company rather than being Decentralized, and no control of anyone.

Address: A string of letters and numbers that represents the destination for a cryptocurrency transaction.

ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit): A type of hardware used for Bitcoin mining.

Bagholder: An investor who holds onto a cryptocurrency through declining markets, often ending up with worthless assets.

BIP (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal): A proposal for changes to the Bitcoin network.

Blockchain Trilemma: The challenge of achieving scalability, security, and decentralization simultaneously in a blockchain.

Bounty: A reward offered for completing specific tasks, often used in cryptocurrency projects.

Bull Market: A market condition where prices are rising.

Consensus: Agreement among blockchain network participants on the state of the database.

Cross-chain: Refers to the interaction between different blockchains.

Custodial Wallet: A wallet where the private keys are held by a third party.

DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization): An organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program.

Dapp Browser: A web browser that allows users to interact with decentralized applications.

DYOR (Do Your Own Research): A reminder to investors to conduct their own due diligence.

ERC-20: A standard for creating and issuing tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.

Escrow: A financial arrangement where a third party holds funds until certain conditions are met.

Faucet: A website or app that dispenses small amounts of cryptocurrencies.

Genesis Block: The first block in a blockchain.

Halving: A predetermined point when the block reward for a cryptocurrency is halved.

Hash Rate: The speed at which a computer can complete an operation in the blockchain.

Hot Wallet: A cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the internet.

Immutable: A characteristic of blockchain where once data is recorded, it cannot be altered.

KYC (Know Your Customer): A process of verifying the identity of clients.

Liquidity: The ease with which an asset can be converted into cash.

Margin Trading: Trading with borrowed funds.

Mempool (Memory Pool): A collection of all transaction data in a blockchain that hasn’t yet been included in any blocks.

Merkle Tree: A data structure used in blockchains for efficient data verification.

Multisig (Multisignature): A security feature that requires multiple signatures to authorize a cryptocurrency transaction.

[12:11 AM]

Off-chain Transaction: A transaction that occurs outside the blockchain and is later added.

Oracles: Entities that feed data from the outside world to the blockchain.

Paper Wallet: A physical document containing a cryptocurrency address and its private key.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P): Direct interactions between parties in a network without central intermediaries.

Private Blockchain: A blockchain controlled by a single organization or group.

Pump and Dump: A scheme to artificially inflate the price of an asset before selling it off.

REKT: Slang for a significant financial loss in cryptocurrency.

SegWit (Segregated Witness): An implemented protocol upgrade intended to provide protection from transaction malleability and increase block capacity.

Sharding: A scaling solution for blockchains, splitting the network into smaller pieces.

Side Chain: A separate blockchain that is attached to a parent blockchain.

Smart Contract: See your original definition.

Soft Fork: A backward-compatible upgrade to a blockchain.

Staking: Holding funds in a cryptocurrency wallet to support the operations of a blockchain network.

Testnet: An alternative blockchain used for testing.

Tokenize: The process of representing real-world assets on a blockchain.

Turing Complete: Refers to a system that can perform any logical step of a computational function (used in context with smart contracts).

Validator: A participant in a blockchain network who is responsible for verifying transactions.

Volatility: The degree of variation in the price of a cryptocurrency.

Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC): An ERC-20 token representing Bitcoin on the Ethereum blockchain.

[12:12 AM]

NFA: Not financial advice

[12:15 AM]

Anonymity Set: The group of users that a single user’s transaction could originate from, enhancing privacy.

Atomicity: A property ensuring transactions are either completed in full or not at all.

Beacon Chain: A part of the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade, introducing Proof of Stake to the network.

Bitcoin Dominance: A measure of Bitcoin’s value compared to the total cryptocurrency market cap.

Block Explorer: A tool for exploring blockchain data such as blocks, transactions, and addresses.

Block Height: The number of blocks in the chain between any given block and the first block on the blockchain.

Block Size: The amount of data in a block, measured in bytes.

Brain Wallet: A wallet generated from a passphrase, more vulnerable to brute-force attacks.

Bridge: A connection between two different blockchains to facilitate token or data transfers.

Burn: Permanently removing tokens from circulation, reducing the total supply.

Chain Split: The creation of a new branch in the blockchain, resulting in two diverging chains.

Change Address: A new address to receive the remaining funds after a cryptocurrency transaction.

Circulating Supply: The number of tokens or coins in active use and circulating in the market.

Coinbase Transaction: The first transaction in a block, used by miners to collect the block reward.

[12:16 AM]

Collateral: Assets pledged to secure a loan or other obligation in the cryptocurrency world.

Consensus Algorithm: A process used by blockchain networks to achieve the necessary agreement on a single data value.

Cross-Chain Communication: A technology enabling exchanges of information and value between different blockchains.

Cryptography: See your original definition.

Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS): A variation of the Proof of Stake consensus mechanism where token holders vote on representatives to validate transactions.

DEX (Decentralized Exchange): An exchange without a central authority, where users can trade cryptocurrencies directly with each other.

Double Spending: The act of spending the same cryptocurrency twice.

Dust: Extremely small amounts of crypto which might be left as transaction residue.

ERC-721: A standard for creating non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain.

Escrow Service: A third-party service that holds funds until the terms of a transaction are met.

EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine): The part of the Ethereum network that executes smart contracts.

Fiat-to-Crypto Exchange: A cryptocurrency exchange where fiat currencies can be exchanged for cryptocurrencies.

Flash Loan: A type of loan in decentralized finance (DeFi) that is taken out and repaid in a single transaction.

Gwei: A denomination of Ether, used in the Ethereum network to measure gas prices.

Hard Fork: A permanent divergence in a blockchain.

Hash Function: A function that converts an input into a fixed-size string of bytes.

Interoperability: The ability of different blockchain systems to work together.

Layer 1: The foundational layer of a blockchain network.

Liquidity Pool: A collection of funds locked in a smart contract, used to facilitate decentralized trading.

Mainnet: The primary network where actual transactions take place on a blockchain.

Masternode: A server in a decentralized network, often requiring collateral to operate, and provides extra services to the network.

Mixer: A service that improves privacy by mixing potentially identifiable cryptocurrency funds with others.

Multi-Signature Wallet: A wallet that requires multiple keys to authorize a transaction.

Oracle Problem: The challenge of providing reliable real-world data to smart contracts.

Permissioned Ledger: A ledger where access is controlled by a central authority.

Plasma: A framework for building scalable applications on Ethereum.

Rug Pull: A type of scam where developers abandon a project and run away with investors’ funds.

Seed Phrase: A series of words generated by a cryptocurrency wallet that gives access to the crypto associated with that wallet.

Zero Confirmation Transaction: A transaction that has been announced to the network