Crypto glossary
31 terms, explained in a sentence or two. Start typing to filter.
Address
A public string of characters you share to receive crypto, like an account number.
Airdrop
Free tokens sent to wallets, often to promote a new project. Be wary: fake airdrops are a common scam.
Altcoin
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.
ATH
All-time high, the highest price a coin has ever reached.
Bear market
A long period of falling prices and pessimism.
Block
A batch of transactions added to a blockchain.
Blockchain
A shared, tamper-resistant ledger maintained by a network of computers.
Bull market
A long period of rising prices and optimism.
CEX
Centralized exchange, a company-run platform for buying and selling crypto.
Cold wallet
A wallet kept offline, such as a hardware device, for stronger security.
DeFi
Decentralized finance: lending, trading and earning through smart contracts instead of banks.
DEX
Decentralized exchange, where trades happen directly from your wallet via smart contracts.
DYOR
Do Your Own Research, the golden rule of crypto.
Gas fee
The fee paid to process a transaction on a blockchain like Ethereum.
Halving
A scheduled event about every four years that cuts new Bitcoin issuance in half.
HODL
Holding crypto long-term instead of selling during swings. Started as a typo of “hold”.
Hot wallet
A wallet connected to the internet. Convenient, but less secure than cold storage.
Layer 2
A network built on top of a blockchain to make transactions faster and cheaper.
Liquidity
How easily an asset can be bought or sold without moving its price.
Market cap
Price × circulating supply, a coin's total market value.
Mining
Using computing power to secure a proof-of-work blockchain and earn new coins.
NFT
Non-fungible token, a unique digital item recorded on a blockchain.
Private key
The secret that controls your crypto. Whoever has it controls the funds.
Rug pull
A scam where developers abandon a project and run off with investors' money.
Seed phrase
12 or 24 words that back up your wallet. Never share it with anyone.
Smart contract
Code on a blockchain that runs automatically when conditions are met.
Stablecoin
A token designed to hold a steady value, usually $1.
Staking
Locking up coins to help secure a proof-of-stake network in exchange for rewards.
Token
A digital asset built on an existing blockchain, such as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum.
Volatility
How sharply and how often a price moves up and down.
Whale
Someone holding a very large amount of a cryptocurrency.