A term used to describe coins that do not require expensive equipment for mining. If a coin is ASIC-resistant, its mining is thought to be more fair and decentralized than coins that are not ASIC-resistant.
An investor who has a net worth of over $1 million and/or an annual salary over $200,000-300,000.
A unique, alphanumeric identifier used as destination for transferring cryptocurrencies.
Anti-Money Laundering. AML laws and restrictions require exchanges to obtain personal information about their customers and their activities.
The exchange of one coin or token for another coin or token that takes place without the need for a third party. Atomic Swaps rely on smart contracts to ensure both parties hold up their end of the agreement.
All-Time High. The highest price a cryptocurrency has ever reached.
All-Time Low. The lowest price a cryptocurrency has ever reached.
Highly specialized computing machines that are far more efficient for mining than CPUs and GPUs. Jihan Wu (a Chinese businessman) is responsible for creating and selling many ASIC Miners.
An event in which individuals that hold existing cryptocurrencies (like Bitcoin and Ethereum) are given tokens of a new cryptocurrency.
Wealthy individuals who contribute significant funds (usually over $1,000,000) to emerging projects.
A process for solving a mathematical problem. In blockchains consensus algorithms are used to verify transactions.
The practice of buying and selling the same coins on different exchanges at the same time to take advantage of price differences.
Artificial Intelligence. As machines advance in intelligence, they are capable of learning from their environments and completing more complex tasks.
Application Programmer Interface. A type of toolkit provided for developers for creating applications.
Alternative Coin. Bitcoin is known as the first and foremost cryptocurrency, so any cryptocurrency that is not Bitcoin is an altcoin.
A famous advocate of Bitcoin who has given speeches and presentations about Bitcoin all over the world.
The largest distributor of ASIC miners, run by Jihan Wu.
A short rise in a cryptocurrency’s price that makes investors think the price will continue to rise. Instead, the price falls significantly following the rise, fooling the “bulls.”
A blockchain scaling solution in which every user account has its own blockchain. Block lattices reduce blockchain bloat by storing transaction data separately from a cryptocurrency's main blockchain.
BNB (Binance Coin) is an ERC20 token that lives on the Ethereum blockchain. The token has multiple forms of utility, essentially being the underlying gas that powers the Binance Ecosystem. Most important, it can be used to pay for trading fees on the exchange, obtaining the equivalent of a 50% discount on trades during the first year, 25% during the second year and so on.
An individual who believes that increasing Bitcoin’s block size would improve its scalability. Roger Ver is the most notable Big Blocker.
a high-yield ponzi scheme in the cryptocurrency market, guarantee profits to investors. Customer losses are estimated to have exceeded $1 billion and was shut down in January 2018.
Komodo's Decentralized Exchange which connects all of its independent blockchains and allows atomic swaps.
A segment of data recorded on the blockchain that can contain transactions and other information.
A free, open-source web browser that aims to provide its users the best possible user experience by blocking trackers, hiding advertisements, respecting user privacy, and even offering a built in tipping mechanism that allows users to reward content creators.
A company led by cypherpunk Adam Back that promotes second layer scaling solutions for Bitcoin.
The payment given to a miner for securing a blockchain that uses POW (Proof-of-Work) consensus
A transaction that combines multiple transactions into one for increased efficiency and decreased fees.
The amount of money one has available to him/her.
The amount of data that can be stored in one block of a given blockchain. For example, the Block Size limit of Bitcoin is 1MB. Larger block size allows for more transactions per block. Thus, it’s not that transactions are “faster” or “slower”. It’s that transactions may be seemingly faster because the network is handling more transactions at a time.
The total number of blocks on a blockchain since the genesis block (first block) was mined.
Bitcoin’s ticker symbol.
A regretful investor who bought a crypto (or cryptos) believing they would appreciate in value. Instead, the crypto decreased in value and the investor is left "holding bags."
A bank run occurs when many clients withdraw their money from a bank at the same time, because they believe the bank may cease to function in the near future. Banks do not hold everyone's money at once, they lend it out. So if everyone tries to get their money at the same time, they can't.
A term used to describe cryptocurrency projects that facilitate programmable transactions rather than simply acting as methods to store and transfer value. Projects like Ethereum are known as Blockchain 2.0 contracts because they allow their users to create and execute smart contracts and develop decentralized apps.
Optimistic about the future of a cryptocurrency’s price.
Bitcoin Improvement Protocol. New feature proposed for Bitcoin are BIPs.
A trader or speculator who believes cryptocurrency prices will rise.
A short drop in a cryptocurrency’s price that makes investors think the price will continue falling. Instead, the price rises significantly following the drop, fooling the “bears.”
A condition that affects cryptocurrencies when the data stored reaches very large sizes due to increasing numbers of users and transactions. When blockchain bloat gets severe, transaction speed suffers.
A market in which most (or all) prices are rising.
Backtesting is the method of running your trading strategy on historical data to find out how well it would have performed.
The original Bitcoin wallet, considered to be among the safest wallets available.
A forum of myriad boards where enthusiasts and experts alike can go to discuss various cryptocurrency related topics.
A mechanism that destroys an amount of coins or tokens, thereby decreasing the total coin supply of a cryptocurrency.
Websites (available for most cryptocurrencies) that allow users to search an address or transaction ID to view its details.
Pessimistic about the future of a cryptocurrency’s price.
The first blockchain-based peer-to-peer protocol that allows its users to store and transfer wealth.
The first successful hard fork of Bitcoin that allows the protocol to grow and scale by removing its block size limit.
A trader or speculator who believes cryptocurrency prices will fall.
The first blockchain-based network that allows its users to store and transfer wealth.
1 Bit is equal to 1/1,000,000 of a Bitcoin. Not to be confused with the computer science definition in which 1 bit equals 0.125 bytes.
A market in which most (or all) prices are falling.
A new version of the Bitcoin Protocol developed using the Javascript programming language.
A Bitcoin wallet that gives its users an aesthetically pleasing interface while still employing the core Bitcoin protocol.
The first blockchain-based cryptocurrency, launched in 2009. Bitcoin remains the most influential and widely recognized coin. All other cryptocurrencies are known as "altcoins," simply because they are not Bitcoin.
A tool used to identify moments when an asset's price is relatively high or relatively low to inform trading decisions.
A digital, distributed ledger which contains data for all the transactions that have ever taken place using a given cryptocurrency.
The unofficial website of Bitcoin Core.
The time it takes to mine a new block.
In the cryptocurrency sphere this term refers to storing cryptocurrency in a location that is offline and thus inaccessible by anyone on the internet.
The volume of coins being held and spent at a given time for a given cryptocurrency.
Digital currency that uses cryptography. Bitcoin & Altcoins are all types of cryptocurrency.
The usage of remote servers (rather than personal computers) to store, manage, and process data.
Code making, breaking and studying.
An aspect of the Bitcoin Core wallet that allows users to specify which coins they wish to spend and which Change Addresses any remaining balance will be sent to.
The first exchange that allowed individuals to buy and sell cryptocurrencies.
An offline wallet for holding cryptocurrencies. Considered more secure than hot wallets.
Verifications of consensus by miners and/or nodes. After an individual sends payment on a blockchain, confirmations are required before the recipient can accept payment.
A general agreement among participants using and mining a cryptocurrency.
The shorthand form of Cryptocurrency.
Advocates of using strong encryption to evade government spying. Cypherpunks were heavily involved in the early development of Bitcoin.
A cryptocurrency that relies solely on its own technology to function.
An irreversible list of all transactions that have ever occurred on a platform.
An asset, of any kind, that a lender will accept to secure a loan. If the borrower doesn't pay back the loan -- the lender keeps or sells the asset.
A paper written by Eric Huges that outlines Cypherpunks’ philosophy and vision. This Manifesto was a big influence on many early cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
A method of encoding inputs to create unique outputs, especially for creating digital fingerprints.
Free movement of coins between individuals.
No longer in production, these were physical coins created by Mike Caldwell that have private Bitcoin keys.
Controlled by one group or within one certain area.
Addresses created to hold the remaining balance when users spend less than a full input. Mostly used in hierarchical deterministic wallets that can create an unlimited number of addresses.
Distributed Denial of Service Attack. A means by which a malicious individual shuts down another individual's internet connection by overloading it with requests.
Dynamic Proof of Work (dPoW) is currently in the early stages of development. Not many new blockchain projects are experimenting with it.
An over/under guessing game that uses random number generators to output results, allowing individuals to bet using cryptocurrencies.
A group of businesses and organizations working together to build a globally-accepted identity verification system. The DIF uses blockchain technology to create a system that doesn't require a centralized authority for purposes of identification.
Distributed Denial of Service. A means by which a malicious individual shuts down another individual's internet connection by overloading it with requests.
Any non-physical object of value, like a document, an audio file, or a logo, that can be owned and controlled.
Parts of the Internet that are not accessible through ordinary means, like search engines.
A set of data used to represent an entity on a network or on the Internet.
The limiting or decreasing of a cryptocurrency's supply, which usually drives its price up.
Distributed amongst its users rather than controlled by one group or within one certain area.
An organization that operates to earn profits for its shareholders (coin holders) by creating value for the free market.
Decentralized Autonomous Organization. An organization governed by smart contracts founded to allocate funds to cryptocurrency projects.
DAA. A collection or portfolio of assorted cryptocurrencies. For example, one Digital Asset Array could contain BTC, ETH, and DASH.
A consensus mechanism that uses professional nodes to broadcast a version of the blockchain. If two thirds or more of the nodes agree, that block is written onto the chain.
A tax on cryptocurrency holdings that encourages spending coins because they are constantly being destroyed.
A feature which allows KyberNetwork to maintain high levels of liquidity. The DRP keeps reserves of cryptocurrencies and establishes rates of exchange between them, allowing any user to easily trade one crypto for another.
DPoS. A consensus mechanism that has a blockchain's nodes vote on the correct version of the blockchain.
Software that allows its users the ability to store cryptocurrency on their personal computer.
Uses nodes spread out across many different locations to achieve decentralization.
A list of transactions that exists on every computer that elects to run blockchain software.
A digital wallet address is a combination of letters and numbers that pseudonymously represent an account number for digital holdings.
Software for storing cryptocurrency that offers decreased risk of losing funds because of its ability to generate unlimited addresses from a single starting point, or "seed."
The act of selling cryptocurrency.
Delegated Proof of Stake. A consensus mechanism that has a blockchain's nodes vote on the correct version of the blockchain.
A measure of how much hashing power (computing power) is required to find the next block on a blockchain. Difficulty increases over time on blockchains.
Transfers of value that are too small to be sent due to the proportionately high fee incurred.
A famous problem that occurs when cryptocurrency is spent more than once. Miners and transaction finality ensure that double-spend cannot occur.
A unique, encrypted output that cannot be duplicated. Useful for creating digital identities and confirming authenticity.
A cryptocurrency that uses the “Doge” meme with a cult-like following.
A metric for measuring bitcoin inactivity. Each day a Bitcoin remains unspent is another day added to its total number of Days Destroyed.
An application created to run on a user's PC.
A network that requires special software (like TOR) to access. Websites on the Darknet are much more difficult to shut down than normal websites. The Darknet was one of the first communities to use cryptocurrencies for transactions.
Decentralized exchange. A platform (which isn't controlled by any single authority) that allows users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies.
Distributed Apps. Applications without centralized control.
An aspect of the Darkcoin crpytocurrency that allows users to make anonymous transactions.
Directed Acyclic Graphs. Also referred to as “Tangle.” DAG is an alternative to the “chain of blocks” architecture used in many crypto projects.
Transforming data into unrecognizable code that can only be decoded with the exact decryption key.
The predominant standard for creating smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. Others may include ERC 721, ERC888, and more
Online platforms on which individuals can buy and sell cryptocurrencies.
An extremely secure messaging functionality offered by QRL.
A third party used to facilitate transactions and increase security.
Ethereum Virtual Machine. A testing environment on the Ethereum network for executing smart contracts and promoting security.
Exchange Traded Fund. A group of assets that can be bought or sold as a single asset.
A cryptocurrency created by Vitalik Buterin that runs on Ether (ETH). Ethereum was the first blockchain-based technology to make smart contracts and decentralized applications possible.
A token issued on the Ethereum platform.

The native tokens of the Ethereum platform. Required in order to send transactions or execute smart contracts.
A hypothetical society in which no one is forced to do anything against their wishes and all actions are voluntary.
Paper money issued by governments as default currency. The US Dollar, Japenese Yen, Chinese Yuan, and Euro are all fiat currencies.
Fear of Missing Out. Investors with FOMO buy cryptocurrency (emotionally rather than logically) for fear of missing out on profits.
A CNBC show on which cryptocurrencies are frequently discussed.
Fear Uncertainty and Doubt. The emotional (rather than logical) belief that cryptocurrency prices will fall.
Financial technology (Fintech) is used to describe new technologies that seek to improve the use and delivery of financial services.
The idea that all units in a money supply are exactly equal. Fungibility is considered to be an essential aspect of effective currencies by many economists.
A percentage of block reward that is paid to the founders of a cryptocurrency rather than to its miners. Zcash is a cryptocurrency with a Founders’ Reward.
A change in a cryptocurrency’s software that makes it incompatible with the original version. For example, any block size increase in the Bitcoin protocol constitutes a hard fork.

A change in a cryptocurrency’s software that does not make it incompatible with the original version.
An amount of coins paid to users for participating in PoS consensus.
A change in the original code of a software.
A term used to describe the way that cryptocurrencies remove many of the inefficiencies and hassles inherent in alternative methods of transferring payment.
The analysis of the economic and political factors that affect the intrinsic value of an asset
A website that sends users small amounts of cryptocurrency intermittently and make money by advertising other services.
APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate. It's the interest rate charged during a whole year. For example: borrow $1,000 at 10% APR means at the end of the year you'll pay back $1,100. The extra $100 may be split into 12 payments, once per month, if that is how the creditor asks for them.
LTV stands for Loan-to-value. The ratio expresses the amount of a loan compared to the value of an asset. For example: taking a $1,000 loan and putting up $2,000 worth of Bitcoin as collateral = 50% LTV. The loan is worth 50% of the bitcoin collateral securing it.
DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance. DeFi is a new financial system based on the use of decentralized blockchains and smart contracts to create new types of financial products.
An open-source database for developers to create and share computer coding with a large community.
A fee which must be paid to execute network transactions.
Graphics Processing Unit. Hardware that can be used for mining some cryptocurrencies.
An online wallet for storying cryptocurrencies. Considered less secure than cold wallets.
Someone who does not sell, but holds on to his coins. "HODL" was originally a typo but it gained the status of a funny backronym: “Hold on for dear life”.
Hashgraph is a consensus alternative to blockchain. It uses a gossip protocol to spread transactions across the network by sending data to randomly chosen neighbors.
The act of protecting an asset from risk. A hedge can protect against losses or even offset against gains.
A physical device that stores private keys.
Output emitted from an algorithm for maintaining consensus on a blockchain.
A programming language used to develop several cryptocurrencies (including Cardano and Nanocoin).
The maximum amount of money a cryptocurrency’s founders will accept while raising money in exchange for early coins on their platform.
A consensus mechanism that employs both Proof of Stake and Proof of Work algorithms.
The process of intermittently decreasing the block reward given to cryptocurrency miners by 50%.
The number of hashes a miner performs over a given period of time.
The power of a mining rig. Similar in concept to the Horse Power of a vehicle.
First made popular in a post by a drunken Bitcoiner who advocated buying but not selling Bitcoin, it is now a meme to intentionally misspell “hold.” Hodlers see huge potential in the future of a cryptocurrency and don’t plan on selling anytime soon.
Created each time coins are sent to an address.
A request for communication from one node to another node.
Initial Coin Offering. An event in which a cryptocurrency project “goes public,” selling early coins in exchange for funds.
The process of increasing a cryptocurrency's supply, which usually drives its price down.
The term used to refer to blockchains to describe the way in which blocks cannot be changed after they are recorded.
Internal Revenue Service. A US tax collection agency that demands information from cryptocurrency exchanges for various reasons.
When an asset (i.e. coin) cannot be easily bought or sold due to a lack of buyers or sellers in a market. If there are only a handful of buyers or sellers the price may be substantially higher (due to few sellers charging a premium) or substantially lower (due to a few buyers demanding discounts).
Initial Public Offering. An event in which a company “goes public,” selling early shares of their business in exchange for funds.
Internet of Things. The system that will digitally connect physical objects, making them identifiable and trackable online.
Internet Protocol Address. A series of numbers and periods used to identify computers communicating through a network.
Invisible Internet Project. A network layer that facilitates anonymous, censorship-resistant communication between users.
A feature of Komodo that offers its users private payments. Jumblr works by exchanging the cryptocurrency being used for payment and mixing it among other cryptos prior to the making an anonymous transaction.
CEO of Bitmain, the largest distributor of cryptocurrency mining machines.
A popular programming language.
Know Your Customer. Information gathered by cryptocurrency exchanges in compliance with AML (Anti Money Laundering) laws.
Software that records every button press of an individual’s keyboard. Often used to hack into accounts by recording passwords.
An algorithm used to adjust mining difficulty so that all miners are given a fair chance at earning block rewards.
Cryptocurrency that has had its origins intentionally obscured to hide evidence of illegal activities.
Borrowed money used to trade assets.
A cryptocurrency forked from Bitcoin known primarily for its decreased block time, which (theoretically) allows for faster transactions.
The measure of how quickly an asset can be exchanged for usable currency.
A type of exchange used to make it easier for individuals to exchange assets for usable currency.
Purchasing a coin with the expectation to sell it at a higher price sometime in the future for a profit. Basically profiting from the rising price of an asset.
A network layer that functions on top of the Bitcoin blockchain and allows for a huge number of low-fee microtransactions.
A limit order is an order where the price is determined by the trader. The trade is only executed if the market price reaches the trader's limit price or better.
A cryptocurrency meme, short for Lamborghinis. When investors' coins' prices go to the Moon, they can buy Lambos.
A sub-unit of Bitcoin: 1000 mBTC equal 1 BTC.
A feature that requires several keys to authorize a single transaction, especially for dividing responsibility among separate parties.
John McAfee (the creator of McAfee antivirus) is a cybersecurity mogul who is known for promoting cryptocurrency and speculating about altcoins.
A series of words that can be used to recover an account or wallet.
A fee paid to voluntary participants for using their computing power to verify transactions. When a miner mines a block they get a block reward as well as all the transaction fees in it.
A mining rig is a computer used for mining cryptocurrencies. The rig might be a dedicated computer or it could be a computer that fills other needs too.
A cryptocurrency that is very popular on the Darknet because it is considered to be more anonymous than Bitcoin and similar coins.
A cryptocurrency meme that refers to the skyrocketing of a coin's price. When Hodlers’ coins go to the Moon, they can all buy Lambos.
The practice of borrowing money to buy and sell assets.
An individual that volunteers computing power to verify transactions on a blockchain in exchange for block rewards.
A pre-planned trade set to execute if a cryptocurrency reaches a certain price.
A popular online wallet that supports Ether and most ERC20 tokens.
The process by which new coins are created as transactions on a network are verified.
The process of allowing two different cryptocurrencies using the same consensus algorithm to be mined simultaneously.
A group of people online who agree to combine their mining rigs into one for more collective mining power. They split rewards evenly based on each person's mining power.
A very small payment made possible with digital currencies.
A mathematical problem that is solved by participants of a blockchain to verify transactions in exchange for block rewards.
A cryptocurrency exchange led by Mark Karpeles that allegedly lost millions of dollars in user funds.
An agreement that allows individuals to sell their computing power for the purposes of verifying transactions on a blockchain.
The process by which users on a PoS blockchain verify transactions and receive new coins for their participation.
The ability of machines and computers to integrate data and learn from it without being programmed to do so.
A third party that enables anonymous transactions by grouping payments together, obscuring their sources.
The total value of a cryptocurrency. Calculated by multiplying a coin’s price by its total supply.
A node (device running the full software of a cryptocurrency) that fulfills more purposes than regular nodes - such as increasing privacy, providing instant transactions, and participating in governance.
Software that allows individuals to store their cryptocurrencies on handheld devices.
A method of intentionally obscuring the source of illegally-obtained funds.
A trade in which an investor sells their position to repay the lender of a loan.
Metamask is a Chrome extension which allows users to store and transact Ethereum and other ERC-20 tokens.
A feature that requires several keys to authorize a single transaction, especially for dividing responsibility among separate parties.
The version of a protocol that uses real money. A cryptocurrency is generally considered to be “live” after the first Mainnet block (the genesis block) is mined.
When a blockchain features several levels for scalability and encryption purposes, it can be said to be "Multi-Layered."
A cryptocurrency that allows data (and transactions) to be written onto its blockchain.
The quality by which cryptocurrencies become more useful as more people use them.
Near-Field Communication. Enables devices located close to each other to transmit data without the need for internet connection.
An arbitrary number that is used only once in cryptography to make replay attacks impossible.
A popular framework for JavaScript code to be written in.
A computer that runs a cryptocurrency’s software and validates transactions.
An individual that trades cryptocurrencies but does not have a high net worth or high salary, and is not elgiible for certain investment opportunities.
Digital agreements between users on NEO's platform that are carried out automatically when their terms are met.
A third-party entity capable of transmitting reliable information to a blockchain so that smart-contracts can be executed.
Transfer of value that takes place outside of a blockchain for reduced fees and quicker transaction time.
Over The Counter Exchange, also known as Off-Exchange Trading. Trades that occur between two parties rather than using a centralized exchange.
Operations Security. Refers to how well assets are protected.
A term used to describe software that is made available online so that any individual can view its code and submit improvements.
Cardano's Proof-of-stake algorithm. It is used to randomly pick the next node to produce a block in. Ouroboros divides physical time into epochs, and then slots. Slot leaders have the sole right to produce one block and are chosen from the group of stakeholders.
A block that is no longer a part of the original blockchain because it was not verified by the majority of miners.
A grouping of addresses that receive coins in a cryptocurrency transaction.
The initiator of communication on a cryptocurrency network.
Private keys are used to spend cryptocurrencies.
A cryptocurrency that uses both PoW and PoS in its consensus mechanism to offer increased security.
Freedom from surveillance.
a fraudulent type of operation where a company attracts investors to send money, with expected profits in return. The company pays back investor profits using later investors’ money. Once the company can no longer attract new investors, then payments cannot be made to clients, the company collapses and investors lose money.
Any cryptocurrency that focuses on maintaining private transactions between users. Examples are Dash, ZCash, and Monero.
The consensus algorithm introduced by Bitcoin. PoW requires miners to compete against each other to add new block and earn rewards.
Proof of Stake and Trust. A consensus mechanism used by Waltonchain that relies on token holders (nodes) to verify transactions while retaining information about nodes' past performance to give higher rewards to the most reliable nodes.
Proof of Work. A consensus mechanism for verifying transactions with computing power that creates new coins in the process.
PoP for short. A consensus mechanism used by DigixDAO to track the movements of physical assets, identify their ownership, and ensure their security.
Pseudonymity is an almost anonymous state in which users have a unique identifier that is different from their real name.
An address that individuals share with others to receive cryptocurrency.
Short for Price Down Limit. PDL is a price set by DeFi platforms. If the collateral crypto price decreases below the PDL set , customers' collaterals will be sold.
A rapid rise in a cryptocurrency’s price.
A permissioned system is a private and closed system. Not anyone can join the network freely.
A physical piece of paper containing a private key, a public key, and often corresponding QR codes.
Occurs when a cryptocurrency’s price shoots up and then quickly crashes. Pump and dumps are often coordinated manipulations of the market by groups of individuals for profit.
Permissionless refers to public blockchains (like Bitcoin) - anyone can generate an address and transact BTC.
Peer-to-Peer. Refers to networks in which individuals connect to each other rather than a central authority.
Decentralized networks in which individuals interact with each other directly.
If you are running a full node, a “peer” is some else also running a full node.
A cryptocurrency's main blockchain which connects its sidechains or subchains.
A social attack in which a malicious individual masquerades as a trustworthy person in an attempt to fool the victim into giving up personal information (like passwords).
Outputs of an algorithm that can be examined and verified. This term is commonly used in cryptocurrency gambling.
A situation that occurs when an asset's market value is far higher than it's actual worth, making a sharp drop in price imminent.
PoS. A method of minting new coins and securing a platform by allowing users to stake their coins and receive more coins as a reward. Introduced as an energy efficient alternative to PoW (Proof of Work).

Proof-of-Importance is a consensus algorithm similar to PoS. Nodes "vest" currency to participate in the creation of blocks. Unlike PoS, Proof-of-Importance quantifies a person’s support of the network. NEM is using Proof-of-Importance.
A consensus mechanism for verifying a blockchain in which miners send coins to an unspendable address
A portion of the total supply of a cryptocurrency reserved for its founders. These funds are often marked as funds to pay developers or fund future ventures, but cryptocurencies with premines are generally viewed as less legitimate and fair those without premines.
Similar to a password but often longer. Where a password is generally a single word -- a passphrase can be a combination of words.
A process of storing information that cannot be changed or deleted.
A public or private offering of tokens to interested investors, generally offering a cheaper price than the coin’s ICO price. Pre-sales are commonly seen as marketing gimmicks.
PoI stands for Proof-of-Importance. It is a new consensus algorithm that requires users to stake currency to participate in the consensus. Compared to PoS, it adds importance to staking. Thus, it takes into account one’s involvement in the network. PoI was introduced by NEM.
Proof of Stake. A consensus mechanism in which individuals use their holdings of a cryptocurrency to secure the platform in exchange for rewards.
A scalability solution for Ethereum that allows more transactions per second by introducing additional blockchains to the main Ethereum blockchain.
An advanced form of computing that allows extremely complex problems to be solved very quickly. For cryptocurrency, quantum computing is important because once it is advanced enough, it may be capable of hacking private keys.
A code containing information that can be read by a device with a camera.
A method of increasing monetary supply (and lowering interest rates) by introducing new money to the market from a central authority.
QRTs. Customizable tokens that can be created using Quantum Resistant Ledger. QRTs are resistant to attacks from quantum computing.
Transfer of currency across a large distance, usually across borders.
RNG refers to 'Random Number Generator," which is the technological device responsible for producing random results, based on a game's established Return to Player (RTP) percentage. It is designed to avoid bias.
A platform that connects banks, payment providers, and digital asset exchanges to provide frictionless transactions.
Radio Frequency Identification chips. RFID chips are attached to physical objects to make them easier to identify and track.
Often referred to as Bitcoin Jesus, he was the first major Bitcoin and cryptocurrency investor.
An individual that contributes their tokens to Kyber Network's Dynamic Reserve Pool to improve the platform's liquidity.
A plan that sets goals and deadlines for a project's future development.
A site that aggregates a nearly endless range of topics. Subreddits exist within Reddit to focus on specific topics.
The pseudonym of the original creator(s) of Bitcoin. Also the smallest sub-unit Bitcoin can be divided into: 1 Satoshi = 1/100,000,000 of a Bitcoin.
A feature of the ARK cryptocurrency which allows separate blockchains to connect with each other and communicate.
The anonymous person or group that created Bitcoin.
All processes involved in delivering products and services from their providers to their customers.
A memory-intensive hash function designed discourage hacking attempts by requiring large amounts of RAM. It is used by Litecoin, as an alternative to SHA-256.
Segregated Witnesses. A protocol implemented by Bitcoin to increase transaction speed. SegWit allows more transactions to be written into a single block on a blockchain.
An individual that volunteers to lock some of their coins or tokens up to verify transactions on a blockchain in exchange for staking rewards.
A fraudulent endeavor. In the cryptocurrency world, this often refers to the practice of fooling investors in some way.
Secure Hash Algorithm 256. An algorithm used by some Proof of Work consensus mechanisms (most notably, Bitcoin's).
An altcoin that is marketed as technology with potential, but is really just sold to make money with no promise of a future use case.
A measure of how easily a cryptocurrency will be able to handle more users and increased transactions.
A feature of PIVX that allows users to complete transactions instantly without needing to wait for confirmations.
Agreements between two parties that self-execute when their terms are met and automatically cancel when their terms are not met.

The Securities and Exchange Commision. A regulatory US agency responsible for the investigation and shut down of several cryptocurrency-related projects.
An indication of support for a feature, often sent out by miners to inform the general public of their opinion.
Selling, before buying, and intending to repurchase the stock at a lower price to realize the profit from a coin/asset decreasing in value. Basically profiting from the falling price of an asset.
A programming language used to create smart contracts.
An individual who believes that the blocks in Bitcoin should be kept small so that anyone can run a full node.
A digital asset on the Steem blockchain that can be launched by any user for the purpose of monetizing online content and encouraging positive user participation.
Price-stable cryptocurrencies that achieve stability through pegging their value to another asset, like the US dollar.
The minimum amount of funds that a cryptocurrency's founders wish to raise in an ICO. If an ICO does not meet its soft cap, it will often be canceled until a later date.
Smart Contract. An agreement between two parties that carries itself out once its terms are met.
Simplified Payment Verification. Allows wallets to function by letting them connect to local nodes that have full copies of the blockchain rather than requiring download of the full blockchain (like Bitcoin Core).
A block that has been worked on by a miner but is not included in the blockchain because another miner successfully completes another block first.
An individual who predicts future prices of assets and makes bets based on their predictions.
Any cryptocurrency pegged to a stable asset for the purpose of reducing price volatility.
The act of locking up one's coins or tokens to help verify transactions for cryptocurrencies with Proof of Stake consensus mechanisms. Stakers earn staking rewards for providing this service.
A platform that functions alongside an existing blockchain protocol, allowing transactions to occur off of the main blockchain. Sidechains can be customized to allow features like faster transaction time and increased anonymity.
A mathematical mechanism for combining a public address with a private address to ensure authenticity and prevent forging.
A blockchain that runs separately from a cryptocurrency's main blockchain, using the native currency to carry out transactions. Subchains help scalability by reducing the amount of data stored on a cryptocurrency's main blockchain, often called the "parent chain."
A popular exchange service created by Eric Voorhees that allows individuals to trade most altcoins anonymously for a small fee.
An online black market on the Darknet best known as a place individuals could buy and sell illegal goods and services. One of the first communities to use Bitcoin as currency.
A derogatory term used to describe altcoins that are based on faulty technology or have little promise for the future.
Self-custody means only you hold and have access to your digital assets. This means that you choose not to use a third party, and will manage your private key yourself.
A financial instrument (stock, bond, etc) that has monetary value and can be bought, sold, and traded.
Typically a person posing as a legitimate user of a product but who is, in fact, being paid or otherwise compensated to promote said product.
A stop order, or stop-loss order, is an order to buy or sell a stock once the price of the stock reaches a specified price, known as the stop price.
The process by which a full database is split into smaller databases called shards. Sharding helps with the scalability of cryptocurrencies.
A computer that is far more powerful than an ordianry computer due to its superior performance.
An alternative to mining rewards. Staking rewards are earned by putting a certain amount of your cryptocurrency up as a 'stake' to confirm transactions. Rewards are given for doing this.
A type of password that an individual can use to recover their wallet.
A measure that describes the strength of association between an address and earlier transaction addresses.
The ability of a system to be trusted without the need of trusting the individuals with which you are transacting.
Test
A feature of cryptocurrency exchanges that makes it easy for individuals to buy one cryptocurrency with a different cryptocurrency. For example, a BTC/DASH trading pair allows an individual to buy DASH with BTC or vice versa.
Software preprogrammed to buy, sell, short, long or execute other trading strategies and commands when the owner is absent. Trading while asleep or away from the keyboard.
A measure of how frequently and how heavily a cryptocurrency is bought and/or sold during a given time period.
The practice of creating digital assets that represent real-world physical assets.
An amount of value that must be paid to transfer value on a blockchain.
Transactions per second. A measure which describes how fast a cryptocurrency can handle its users' transactions.
An individual who buys and sells cryptocurrency.
TradFi is short for Traditional Finance. It refers to traditional retail, commercial, and investment banks, and FinTechs.
An identical version of a protocol that uses fake money to discover bugs without the consequences such bugs would have on a Mainnet protocol.
A cryptocurrency created using another platform (like Ethereum). Tokens operate by using the technology of the platform on which they were created.
A consensus method that allows users to transact anonymously and requires relatively little electricity. An alternative to PoW (Proof of Work) and PoS (Proof of Stake).
The first hardware wallet, created by a Bitcoiner called “Slush.”
The Onion Router. A web browser that allows users anonymous access to darknet sites.
A measure that describes how many coins of a given cryptocurrency can exist (after all mining is completed, if applicable).
A computing system that can perform a whole set of computational functions is considered “Turing Complete.”
A sequence of numbers used to identify the moment in time that a transaction occurred.
Commonly known as 2FA. A measure of security used for protecting accounts. 2FA requires users to have not only a username and a password to login, but an extra piece of information, as well.
Transaction.
In the cryptocurrency sphere a Tether is a type of coin. This coin is ‘tethered’ or paired 1-to-1 with the U.S. Dollar.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A set of protocols that allow multiple computers to communicate.
An adult person without an account at a bank or other financial institution.
User-Issued Assets, Tokens that can be created on the BitShares network.
Software that changes an environment irreversibly after its release. For example, once Bitcoin’s code was launched and distributed amongst many machines, it virtually could not be stopped.
A unit of currency consumed in a process. For example, an arcade token that gets used when a game is played or a coin like BNB Binance token, which is used to pay exchange fees.
The acronym for stable coins issued by Tether Limited: U.S. Dollar Tether.
Unspent transaction output. For example, if an individual receives 1 BTC and holds it, they possess a UTXO.
A highly respected programmer responsible for writing Ethereum's white paper and co-creating Ethereum's technology.
Addresses that hold cryptocurrency. Instead of random alphanumeric strings, however, users with vanity addresses can choose specific words and phrases for their addresses, similar to vanity license plates,
Coins which haven’t ever been spent. Virgin coins were mined and left alone.
An individual that invests in an emerging project with the hopes of earning a large return on their investment when the project succeeds.
A measure that describes how rapidly an asset tends to fluctuate in price.
A measure used to describe the rate at which currency is exchanged from transaction to transaction.
Software or devices that contain public and private keys for storing cryptocurrencies
The filename which stores public and private keys for a full node.
A very wealthy individual capable of making large trades.
A technical document that outlines a project’s features, technology, and vision.
A list of registered and approved participants in an ICO. Whitelists are used to exclude non-accredited investors in order to better comply with regulations.
An electronic transaction in which value is sent from one party to another.
eXtensive Business Reporting Language. A language for defining and exchanging financial data that makes extracting useful data from a large body of data easier.
Ticker for Bitcoin used on Kraken and some other exchanges. Same as BTC.
The native currency of Monero.
A formula that uses data to make predictions about how financially secure businesses are.
Payment that has been broadcast but is still pending inclusion on a blockchain.
A cryptocurrency that uses the Bitcoin protocol but offers increased anonymity in transactions.
Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge. Zk-SNARKs is a technology which allows cryptocurrencies to shield transaction information from uninvolved parties.
Even millions of dollars worth of security won't protect an individual if someone threatens to hit them with a $5 wrench unless they give up their passwords. The best defense is keeping quiet about your cryptocurrency holdings.
Two Factor Authentication. A protective measure that uses one-time passwords to prevent keyloggers from gaining unauthorized access to accounts.
A hypothetical attack in which a malicious individual gains control of more than half of a cryptocurrency’s hashing power and is then able to re-write old blocks, allowing double-spend.