Crypto Glossary

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Accredited Investors – An accredited investor is a person or organization that is qualified to participate in financial opportunities that are not legally offered to regular investors.
Airdrop – A distribution of a cryptocurrency for free to numerous wallet addresses for marketing purposes.
Altcoin - Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.
AMA (Ask Me Anything) – A thread for the community to ask a developer questions about their project.
Angel Investor - Angel investors are typically high net worth individuals who invest their own money in early-stage startups.
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) - Anti-money Laundering (AML) refers to a set of laws, regulations, and procedures designed to prevent the illegal generation and movement of funds.
API - API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications.
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.
ASIC – An acronym for application-specific integrated circuit — a device designed for the sole purpose of mining cryptocurrencies.
Ask Price – The ask price, also known as the offer price or the asking price, is the price at which a seller is willing to sell their cryptocurrency. Bear Market – A downward tendency in market prices. It is frequently utilized not just in the cryptocurrency arena, but also in traditional markets.
Bid Price – The price that someone is willing to pay for a cryptocurrency or other assets.
Bid-Ask Spread – The difference between the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay for a certain digital asset and the lowest price that a seller is willing to sell it for.
Bitcoin – The original, largest and best-known cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin Dominance – The percentage of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization that is represented by Bitcoin.
Bitcoin Pizza Day – Bitcoin Pizza Day marks the day on which an early Bitcoin enthusiast purchased pizza using Bitcoin on May 22nd, 2010.
Blockchain – A digital form of record keeping, and the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies. A blockchain is the result of sequential blocks that build upon one another, creating a permanent and unchangeable ledger of transactions (or other data).
Bull Market – An upward tendency in market prices. It is frequently utilized in both traditional markets and the cryptocurrency arena.
Burning – Cryptocurrencies are sent to a wallet that can only receive them and not send them. It is done with the purpose of reducing the number of tokens - the fewer tokens in circulation, the more valuable the ones investors hold become. Casascius Coin – A physical unit of Bitcoin that comes in the form of brass, silver or gold-plated coins.
Centralized Crypto Exchange – A type of cryptocurrency exchange that is operated by a company that owns it in a centralized manner.
Cloud Mining – Classical mining requires huge investments in hardware and electricity. Cloud mining companies aim to make mining accessible to everybody. People can log in to a website which already has mining datacenters.
Coin – A digital asset that works on its own underlying blockchain.
Cold Wallet – A secure method of storing your cryptocurrency completely offline. Many cold wallets (also called hardware wallets) are physical devices that look similar to a USB drive. This kind of wallet can help protect your crypto from hacking and theft, though it also comes with its own risks – like losing it, along with your crypto.
Collateral – Any asset that a lender accepts as a form of security to ensure that the borrower repays a loan.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) – An independent agency of the United States government that regulates futures, options, and swaps trading in the country.
CRU – CRU is a collateral token offered by the Cryptounit blockchain.
Crypto Asset – A digital asset, which may be a medium of exchange, for which generation or ownership records are supported through a blockchain technology.
Crypto Winter – A prolonged period of bearish market conditions where the prices of cryptocurrencies drop significantly, and investor confidence wanes.
Cryptocurrency – A digital form of currency that can be traded for goods, services or other currencies. Transactions are verified and recorded using cryptography by ordinary people, rather than a centralised authority such as a bank.
Cryptography – A computer method of keeping information secret and secure by scrambling it into indecipherable information.
Cryptojacking – A secret use of a device to mine cryptocurrency. dApp (Decentralized Application) – An application designed by developers and deployed on a blockchain to carry out actions without intermediaries.
Dark Web – A collection of websites and online services that are not indexed by traditional search engines and require specific software to access.
Dead Cat Bounce – A temporary, short-lived recovery of asset prices from a prolonged decline or a bear market that is followed by the continuation of the downtrend.
Dead Coin – A cryptocurrency that is no longer in existence.
Decentralized Exchange (DEX) – A digital currency exchange that allows users to acquire cryptocurrencies directly without the involvement of banks, government agencies or other intermediaries.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) – A movement encouraging alternatives to traditional, centralized forms of financial services.
Delisting – The removal of a stock or a cryptocurrency from a trading platform or exchange.
Diamond Hands – Refers to a cryptocurrency investor who holds onto their investment for an extended period, regardless of the market conditions.
Digital Currency – A currency that exists only in digital form, as opposed to traditional physical currencies (FIAT).
Diversification – A technique that spreads investment risk across a variety of assets.
Do Your Own Research (DYOR) – DYOR refers to the idea that individuals should conduct their own research before making any decisions about investing in cryptocurrency.
Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) – Investing a fixed amount of money on a regular schedule, such as weekly, biweekly, or monthly, into a selected asset. Encryption – The process of making digital information into a form that prevents un-authorised access.
ERC-20 – Used on the Ethereum network, ERC-20 is the most vastly used crypto-token standard. It allows developers to easily create digital currencies.
Ethereum – A decentralized global software platform based on blockchain technology. It is internationally known for its own cryptocurrency, ether (ETH).
Exchange – A marketplace where digital currencies and other financial instruments can be traded. Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) – In crypto markets, it usually refers to watching the tokens you do not own go through explosive upward price movements.
Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) – Refers to information that is likely to push people toward a pessimistic view of the market.
Fiat Money – Traditional, state-backed currencies like Sterling, Euro and US dollar. It can take the form of physical cash, or it can be represented electronically, such as with bank credit.
Fork – Forks, or chain splits, create an alternate version of the blockchain, leaving two blockchains to run simultaneously.
Fundamental Analysis (FA) – A method applied to determining the value of a cryptocurrency, stock or security.
Fungible – The property an item of being exchangeable with other like items. From a cryptocurrency perspective, each coin or token is fungible as each one has the same value. Gas – Gas is a fee that developers have to pay to the Ethereum network in order to use the system. Gas is paid in ether, the native cryptocurrency of Ethereum.
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.
Gwei – The denomination used in defining the cost of gas in transactions involving Ether. Gwei is a small unit of the Ethereum network’s Ether (ETH) cryptocurrency. A gwei or gigawei is defined as 1,000,000,000 wei, the smallest base unit of Ether. One gwei equals 0.000000001 or 10-9 ETH. Conversely, 1 ETH represents 1 billion gwei! Halving – A feature written into Bitcoin’s code in which after a certain number of blocks are mined (typically every four years) the amount of new Bitcoin entering circulation gets halved. The halving can have an impact on Bitcoin’s price.
HODL – The term comes from misspelling the word hold. It refers to the action of not selling your cryptos. The term is now commonly expanded to stand for “Hold On for Dear Life.”
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. Initial Coin Offering (ICO) – Comparable to the traditional Initial Public Offering (IPO), an ICO is a new method for projects and startups to secure funding using cryptocurrencies as a means of raising capital for early-stage companies.
Initial Dex Offering (IDO) – Initial DEX Offerings (IDOs) refer to tokens that represent any asset hosted on a decentralized exchange (DEX).
Initial Public Offering (IPO) – The process of a company offering shares for purchase on the stock market for the first time.
Initial Token Offering (ITO) – ITO is 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. Jager – The smallest denomination of the Binance cryptocurrency (BNB).
Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) – A term often used by no-coiners who declare their happiness that they are not involved in cryptocurrencies, usually when prices are declining or a scam ICO is revealed. Know Your Customer (KYC) – Checks that crypto exchanges and trading platforms must complete to verify the identity of their customers. Also dubbed Know Your Client, KYC is a crucial part of measures designed to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing. Ledger – A ledger refers to transactions database. In cryptocurrencies, the ledger is the transaction history of a given cryptocurrency as stored on the blockchain.
Liquidity – Liquidity is the ability to sell or acquire an asset without significantly changing the market price. A liquid market features a large number of buyers and sellers. It is a platform where all the trades are executed with ease and at a low cost. Maker and Taker Fees – Maker-taker fees are transaction costs that occur when orders are placed and filled.
Market Capitalization (Market Cap) – The price of an asset multiplied by circulating supply represents the total value of a given asset and its market. It is often used as a measurement of a project's success.
Meme Coin – A crypto token created as a joke or meme and claims to offer huge gains to holders.
MetaMask – An online digital wallet that allows users to store Ether and other ERC-20 tokens, permitting them to transact with any Ethereum address.
Metaverse – A digital universe that contains all the aspects of the real world, such as real-time interactions and economies. It offers a unique experience to end-users.
Mining – Crypto mining is the process of verifying cryptocurrency transactions using computer hardware in order to create new blocks. In exchange, miners earn rewards. It is also the process through which new bitcoin or some altcoins are created.
Mining Farm – When a group of miners mine together for a variety of advantageous reasons, like energy use. Node – A node is a type of participant in the blockchain network that stores data and contributes to the consensus process to ensure that all new transactions and blocks are valid.
Non-fungible token (NFT) – Non-fungible tokens are units of value used to represent the ownership of unique digital items like art or collectibles. Off-Chain – A transaction that is processed outside the blockchain network with an increased speed and reduced cost.
On-Chain – A transaction that is recorded on a blockchain. Paper Hands – The term describes investors who panic and sell their holdings at the first sign of a market downturn.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) – A transaction between two people without an intermediary or central authority involved.
Private Key – A private key is used to identify the owner of a given cryptocurrency wallet. It acts much like a password, and anyone with a private key can access the funds from the associated wallet address.
Proof of Authority (PoA) – Proof of Authority (PoA) is a consensus algorithm in blockchain technology that utilizes a set of designated validators to verify transactions and add new blocks to the chain. Unlike Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), where the validation of transactions and the creation of new blocks are determined by computing power or the amount of stake held by a node, PoA relies on the identity of the validators to maintain the integrity of the network.
Proof of Stake (PoS) – A consensus mechanism used by blockchains to ensure correct data is stored to the blockchain. In proof-of-stake blockchains, participants who deposit an amount of cryptocurrency to the network (staking) are given the opportunity to help generate new blocks and earn block rewards.
Proof of Work (PoW) – Proof of Work is a more traditional method to award miners for their effort. It requires miners to show their effort by tying a variable to the process of hashing a transaction. A hashed block proves work was completed and awards the miner. This takes up a lot of energy.
Public Blockchain – A blockchain that can be accessed by anyone.
Public Key – To receive funds into your account, you have to share your public key. If a private key is like a password, a public key is like an email address or an account number.
Public Ledger – This is the place where you can view every transaction ever made on a blockchain, given that it’s public. Quantum computing – A computer science that uses principles of quantum physics to process much larger data sets at much greater speeds than traditional, binary-based computing. Rebase Token – A token designed so that the circulating supply adjusts automatically according to price fluctuations.
Ripple – Ripple is a digital payment protocol that facilitates fast and secure cross-border transactions. It is an open-source platform that was created in 2012 by a company called Ripple Labs, which is now known as Ripple.
Roadmap – A high-level visual summary that helps map out the vision as well as the direction of a specific product.
Rug Pull – A scam. The creators of a cryptocurrency vanish, taking funds with them. Satoshi – The smallest unit of bitcoin with a value of 0.00000001 BTC.
Satoshi Nakamoto – The anonymous creator(s) of Bitcoin.
Secondary Market – A market where investors purchase securities or assets from other investors, rather than from issuing companies themselves.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – The US government regulatory agency charged with supervision over the securities and investment instruments market, and the protection of the investing public.
Security Token Offering (STO) – STO is a specific type of public offering where tokenized digital securities are sold on security token exchanges. Tokens can be used to trade real financial assets, and use blockchain virtual ledger systems in order to store as well as validate the token transactions.
Seed Phrase – The seed phrase refers to a generated list of 12 to 24 words, in a specific order, used by crypto wallet users to regain access and control of their funds on the blockchain. This also means that any third party who knows your recovery seed can potentially move your funds to another wallet address.
Shitcoin – A cryptocurrency with zero value and no utility.
Slippage – The difference between the expected price of a crypto asset and the actual price at which the trade is executed.
Smart Contract – A computer protocol that executes itself on a blockchain when certain conditions are met, without the need for human intervention or an intermediary. Once executed, the contract cannot be changed or undone.
Soulbound Tokens – Are digital identification tokens that reflect the characteristics, qualities, and accomplishments of a person or entity.
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.
Stablecoin – A cryptocurrency with extremely low volatility, sometimes used as a means of portfolio diversification. A stablecoin pegs its value to some other non-digital currency or commodity.
Staking – Staking is the process of locking up cryptocurrency for a certain period to support the operation of a blockchain network. In return for staking, participants earn additional cryptocurrency. Technical Analysis (TA) – A methodology used to forecast future market behavior by analyzing past price action and volume data.
Tether – A stablecoin pegged to the US Dollar, and the blockchain platform.
Ticker in Crypto – In essence, a crypto ticker symbol is the short combination of letters that is used to represent a cryptocurrency token on various exchanges, swapping services and other DeFi solutions.
To the Moon – A term that is often employed to describe a cryptocurrency that is under a strong upward market trend.
Token – A unit of value on a blockchain that usually has some other value proposition besides just a transfer of value (like a coin).
Tokenomics – Tokenomics, short for "token economics" describes how a token is used inside the project ecosystem or how the token will follow a monetary policy as the project grows over time.
TRC-20 – The TRC-20 standard allows for tokens to be created on the TRON network. It is similar to the ERC-20 standard used for Ethereum tokens and is intended to be fully compatible with it. UNTB – UNTB is a utility token created to work on the Cryptounit blockchain.
USDU – A stablecoin backed by the US dollar which operates on the Cryptounit blockchain.
Utility Token – Utility tokens are tokens that are designed specifically to be able to help people use something. The use of utility tokens is limited to the particular ecosystem that the utility token is designed for. Validator – A validator is someone who pays for the chance to validate transactions and earn crypto on a proof of stake blockchain.
Virtual Currency – A digital representation of value that is used as a medium of exchange and a store of value used mostly as a way for people to track, store, and send payments over the Internet.
Vitalik Buterin – One of the programmers who created Ethereum in 2015.
Volatility – The amount and frequency of fluctuations in the price of a cryptocurrency. Wallet – A place where cryptocurrency users can store, send and receive digital assets. Your wallet must contain seeds, keys, and addresses to function properly. Wallets can be online (hot wallet) or offline (cold wallet).
Wash Trading – A price manipulation strategy, involves a trade operation where the buyer and seller are the same entity, creating an illusion that the asset is more popular than it actually is.
WCRU – WCRU security tokens are digital shares of the Global Investment Portfolio CryptoUnit and reflect a proportionately corresponding share and the right to participate in the distribution of profits.
Whale – A slang term used to describe big players in the cryptocurrency markets, from institutional investors to wealthy individuals or hedge funds.
Whitelist – A presale list for cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Whitelisted investors can buy the asset before public launch, normally for a discounted price.
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. XRP – A cryptocurrency token that runs on the Ripple blockchain.

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