51% AttackSecurity
When one entity controls most of a chain's power and can rewrite recent transactions.
Account AbstractionAdvanced
Smart-contract wallets that remove seed phrases and let you pay gas in any token.
AirdropTokenomics
Free distribution of tokens to wallets that meet certain criteria.
AlphaCulture & Slang
Valuable information not yet priced in by the market.
AltcoinAsset Types
Any cryptocurrency that is not Bitcoin. Thousands exist; most fail.
AMMDeFi
Automated Market Maker: a formula-driven pool that replaces the order book on a DEX.
Ape / Aping InCulture & Slang
Buying into something impulsively, with no research.
APR vs APYDeFi
APR is simple yearly interest; APY includes compounding, so it shows a bigger number.
ATH / ATLMarkets & Trading
All-Time High and All-Time Low — the highest and lowest price an asset has ever reached.
Bitcoin (BTC)Asset Types
The first cryptocurrency (2009). Fixed 21M supply, no company controls it. Often called digital gold.
Bitcoin DominanceMacro
Bitcoin's share of the total crypto market cap; a falling figure signals altseason.
Bitcoin ETFMacro
A stock-market fund holding real Bitcoin — approved in 2024, opening crypto to large institutions.
BlockFoundations
A batch of validated transactions added to the chain, each one linked to the previous.
Block ExplorerOn-Chain Data
A website to search any transaction, address or block (Etherscan, mempool.space).
Block TimeFoundations
How often a new block is added — about 10 minutes on Bitcoin, 12 seconds on Ethereum.
BlockchainFoundations
A database copied across thousands of computers with no single owner; new data updates every copy and history cannot be secretly changed.
BridgeScaling / L2
A protocol that moves assets between chains. Crypto's most-hacked category.
Bridge RiskScaling / L2
Bridges hold huge pooled funds and are the single most-exploited target in crypto.
Bull / Bear MarketMarkets & Trading
A bull market is a sustained rise; a bear market is a sustained fall (crypto bears: drops near 80 percent).
BuybackTokenomics
A protocol using its revenue to buy back its own token from the open market.
Candlestick ChartMarkets & Trading
A price chart where each candle shows the open, high, low and close for a period.
CBDCAsset Types
A digital currency issued by a central bank — programmable, and trackable unlike cash.
CEX vs DEXMarkets & Trading
A CEX is a centralised exchange that holds your keys (Binance); a DEX lets you trade from your own wallet (Uniswap).
Circulating SupplyTokenomics
The number of tokens currently tradeable on the open market.
Coin vs TokenAsset Types
A coin is a blockchain's own currency (BTC, ETH); a token lives on another chain via a smart contract (USDC, UNI).
Cold WalletWallets & Keys
A wallet kept offline — less convenient but highly resistant to remote attacks. Best for savings.
CollateralDeFi
Assets locked as security for a loan. In DeFi, loans are always over-collateralised.
Consensus MechanismFoundations
The rules by which computers that do not trust each other agree on one shared version of the truth.
CorrelationMacro
How closely two assets move together. Bitcoin often tracks tech stocks.
Cross-Chain InteroperabilityAdvanced
Letting different blockchains talk and move assets without a centralised bridge.
Crypto Twitter (CT)Culture & Slang
The crypto community on X — the main hub for news, narratives and hype.
DAODeFi
An organisation run by smart contracts and token-holder votes instead of a board of directors.
DeFiDeFi
Financial services — trading, lending, earning — run entirely by smart contracts, with no banks.
DegenCulture & Slang
A high-risk DeFi gambler chasing huge returns — an insult or a badge of honour depending on the day.
DEX AggregatorDeFi
A router that splits your trade across many DEXes for the best overall price (1inch).
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA)Markets & Trading
Investing a fixed amount on a schedule, ignoring price, to remove the stress of timing.
Double SpendFoundations
Spending the same coin twice — the core problem blockchains were built to solve.
DYORCulture & Slang
Do Your Own Research — verify everything yourself; never trust advice blindly.
EIP-1559Scaling / L2
Ethereum's fee reform that burns the base fee, making ETH deflationary in busy periods.
EmissionTokenomics
New tokens released as rewards. High emission means constant selling pressure.
Ethereum (ETH)Asset Types
The largest programmable blockchain — the base layer for smart contracts, DeFi and NFTs.
EVMScaling / L2
The Ethereum Virtual Machine — the engine that runs smart contracts; many chains copy it.
Exchange Inflow / OutflowOn-Chain Data
Coins moving to exchanges hints at selling; moving off exchanges hints at holding.
FDVMarkets & Trading
Fully Diluted Valuation: price times max supply. A high FDV versus market cap means heavy future selling.
Flash LoanDeFi
A loan of any size with no collateral — but it must be borrowed and repaid in one transaction.
FOMOCulture & Slang
Fear Of Missing Out — buying because the price is rising, usually near a top.
ForkFoundations
A change to a blockchain's rules; a hard fork can split it into two separate chains.
FUDCulture & Slang
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt — negative talk; sometimes spin, sometimes a genuine warning.
Gas / Gas FeeFoundations
The fee paid in a chain's native coin to have your transaction processed; it rises with demand.
Gas WarSecurity
When many users bid up fees at once to get into the same block (NFT mints, airdrop claims).
Genesis BlockFoundations
The very first block of a blockchain. Bitcoin's was mined by Satoshi on January 3, 2009.
GM / GNCulture & Slang
Good Morning and Good Night — a crypto-community greeting ritual.
Governance TokenAsset Types
A token that grants voting rights on a protocol's decisions. Most holders never vote.
HalvingMacro
Every four years, Bitcoin's mining reward is cut in half, slowing the new supply.
Hardware WalletWallets & Keys
A physical device that keeps keys in a secure chip; the key never leaves it, even if your computer is hacked.
HashFoundations
A one-way math function turning any input into a fixed fingerprint; it cannot be reversed.
HODLCulture & Slang
Hold your position through the volatility. From a 2013 misspelling of hold.
HoneypotSecurity
A scam token you can buy but not sell — the contract blocks selling. Always test with a tiny amount.
Hot WalletWallets & Keys
A wallet connected to the internet — convenient, but more exposed to remote attacks.
HyperliquidAdvanced
A fully on-chain perpetuals exchange on its own L1 — proof that on-chain trading can rival a CEX.
ICO / IEO / IDOTokenomics
Token fundraising models: a direct sale (ICO), an exchange-hosted sale (IEO), or a DEX launch (IDO).
Impermanent LossDeFi
The loss a liquidity provider takes when their two tokens' prices drift apart.
KYCWallets & Keys
Identity verification (name, ID, address) required by regulated exchanges by law.
Layer 1 (L1)Scaling / L2
The base blockchain itself (Bitcoin, Ethereum) where transactions finally settle.
Layer 2 (L2)Scaling / L2
A network built on top of an L1 that processes transactions cheaply, then settles to the L1.
Lending ProtocolDeFi
DeFi where you deposit to earn interest or borrow against collateral (Aave, Compound).
LeverageMarkets & Trading
Borrowing to size up a position. At 10x, a 10 percent move against you wipes you out.
LFGCulture & Slang
An expression of intense bullish excitement.
Liquid StakingAdvanced
Staking ETH but getting a tradeable receipt token (stETH) you can still use in DeFi.
LiquidationMarkets & Trading
Forced closure of a leveraged position when collateral drops too low; you lose your margin.
Liquidation CascadeDeFi
A chain reaction where liquidations trigger more liquidations, causing violent, fast crashes.
LiquidityMarkets & Trading
How easily an asset can be traded without moving its price. Low liquidity means high slippage.
Liquidity CycleMacro
The big pattern: bull markets ride new money coming in, bear markets follow money leaving.
Liquidity PoolDeFi
A smart contract holding two tokens that traders swap against; funded by liquidity providers.
Liquidity Provider (LP)DeFi
Anyone who deposits assets into a pool to earn a share of the trading fees.
Long vs ShortMarkets & Trading
Long is betting price goes up. Short is betting price goes down.
LTV (Loan-to-Value)DeFi
Your loan divided by your collateral value. Too high, and you get liquidated.
M2 Money SupplyMacro
The total money in an economy. More M2 tends to lift crypto; less tends to sink it.
MarginMarkets & Trading
The collateral you put up to open a leveraged position.
Market CapMarkets & Trading
Price times circulating supply. The real measure of a coin's size — price alone is meaningless.
Market vs Limit OrderMarkets & Trading
A market order buys or sells now at any price; a limit order executes only at the price you set.
Max SupplyTokenomics
The maximum number of tokens that will ever exist (21M for Bitcoin).
MempoolFoundations
The waiting room for unconfirmed transactions; higher fees get picked first.
MEV / Front-RunningSecurity
Bots see your pending trade and jump ahead of it to profit at your expense.
MiningFoundations
Using computing power to add blocks and earn newly created coins under Proof of Work.
MultisigWallets & Keys
A wallet that needs several keys to approve a transaction — no single point of failure.
MVRVOn-Chain Data
A Bitcoin metric comparing market value to holders' average cost — used to spot tops and bottoms.
NFACulture & Slang
Not Financial Advice — a disclaimer placed after almost all crypto commentary.
NFTAsset Types
A token where each unit is unique — used for art, tickets, domains, game items and more.
NodeFoundations
A computer that keeps a full copy of a blockchain and checks new transactions against the rules.
On-Chain AnalyticsOn-Chain Data
Reading public blockchain data to see where money actually moves, often before the news.
Optimistic RollupScaling / L2
A rollup that assumes transactions are valid unless challenged; has a 7-day withdrawal delay.
OracleAdvanced
A service that feeds real-world data, like prices, into smart contracts. Chainlink is the leader.
Oracle ManipulationSecurity
Faking the price feed a DeFi protocol relies on, to borrow or liquidate unfairly.
Order BookMarkets & Trading
A live list of all buy and sell orders at each price; used by centralised exchanges.
Paper Hands / Diamond HandsCulture & Slang
Paper hands sell at the first scare; diamond hands hold through anything.
Perpetual FuturesMarkets & Trading
A leveraged bet on an asset's price with no expiry date. Crypto's most-traded instrument.
PhishingSecurity
Fake sites or messages tricking you into giving up your seed phrase or approving a malicious transaction.
PointsTokenomics
Pre-token rewards for using a protocol early; may convert to a future airdrop — but are not guaranteed.
Price ImpactMarkets & Trading
How much your own trade moves the price against you in a thin market.
Private KeyWallets & Keys
The secret number that controls a wallet and its funds. Lose it and there is no recovery.
Proof of Stake (PoS)Foundations
Consensus where validators lock up coins as collateral; cheating destroys part of their stake. Ethereum uses it.
Proof of Work (PoW)Foundations
Consensus where miners burn electricity solving puzzles to add blocks. Bitcoin uses it.
Protocol RevenueTokenomics
The share of user fees a protocol actually keeps, after paying liquidity providers.
PseudonymousFoundations
Wallet addresses carry no name, but are not truly anonymous — they can be linked to you.
Public AddressWallets & Keys
Your shareable address for receiving funds, derived one-way from your private key.
Reentrancy AttackSecurity
A contract bug letting an attacker call back in repeatedly to drain funds in a loop.
REKTCulture & Slang
Wrecked — having lost a lot of money on a trade or investment.
RestakingAdvanced
Reusing already-staked ETH to secure extra protocols for extra yield — and extra risk.
RollupScaling / L2
The main L2 design: bundle many transactions off-chain, then post a compact proof to the L1.
Rug PullSecurity
An exit scam where developers abandon a project and drain its money; the price goes to zero.
RWAAdvanced
Real-World Assets — Treasuries, bonds, real estate — tokenised on-chain. The big institutional trend.
SAFUCulture & Slang
Funds are safe — a Binance meme, now shorthand for assets being secure.
Sandwich AttackSecurity
A bot buys just before your trade and sells right after, pushing your price worse.
Security TokenAsset Types
A token representing a real-world asset (equity, debt, property) and regulated as a security.
Seed PhraseWallets & Keys
12 or 24 words that back up your private key. Anyone who has them controls your crypto. Never store it digitally.
Self-CustodyWallets & Keys
Holding your own keys instead of trusting an exchange. Not your keys, not your coins.
SequencerScaling / L2
The entity that orders and batches transactions on a rollup; usually still centralised.
SidechainScaling / L2
A separate blockchain running alongside a main chain, linked by a bridge; less secure than a rollup.
SIM SwapSecurity
An attacker hijacks your phone number to steal SMS codes. Never use SMS 2FA for crypto.
SlashingFoundations
The penalty that destroys part of a validator's stake for cheating or serious mistakes.
SlippageMarkets & Trading
The gap between the price you expected and the price your trade actually got.
Smart ContractFoundations
Self-executing code on a blockchain that runs automatically when conditions are met — and cannot be altered once deployed.
Smart MoneyOn-Chain Data
Wallets of sophisticated, historically profitable traders that analysts track for signals.
Soulbound TokenAdvanced
A non-transferable token representing a credential or identity — degrees, memberships, reputation.
Spot PriceMarkets & Trading
The current market price to buy or sell an asset right now.
StablecoinAsset Types
A token designed to hold a steady value, usually 1 dollar. The backbone of practical DeFi.
Stablecoin DepegAsset Types
When a stablecoin loses its 1 dollar value — a key risk, and often fatal for algorithmic ones.
StakingFoundations
Locking up coins to help secure a Proof-of-Stake network and earn rewards.
Take Profit / Stop LossMarkets & Trading
Pre-set prices that auto-sell to lock in gains (TP) or limit losses (SL).
TGETokenomics
Token Generation Event: the moment a token is first created and distributed.
Token BurnTokenomics
Permanently destroying tokens to shrink supply and support the price.
TokenomicsTokenomics
A token's economic design — supply, distribution, unlocks, and where its value comes from.
TrustlessFoundations
A system where you need not trust any party — the rules and math guarantee the outcome.
TVLDeFi
Total Value Locked: how much money is deposited in a protocol. The main size metric.
Unlimited ApprovalSecurity
Giving a contract permission to spend any amount of your tokens. Revoke unused approvals at revoke.cash.
Utility TokenAsset Types
A token with a real use inside one ecosystem — fee discounts, payments, or access.
UTXOOn-Chain Data
Bitcoin's accounting model: your balance is the sum of unspent transaction outputs you control.
ValidatorFoundations
A computer that stakes coins to propose and approve new blocks under Proof of Stake.
VaultDeFi
A smart contract that runs a yield strategy for you automatically — compounding and rebalancing.
Vesting / CliffTokenomics
The scheduled release of locked tokens over time; a cliff delays the very first unlock.
VolumeMarkets & Trading
The total value traded in a period. Big moves on high volume are more trustworthy.
WAGMI / NGMICulture & Slang
We are All Gonna Make It versus Not Gonna Make It — community optimism versus a bad call.
WalletWallets & Keys
Software or hardware that holds your keys and signs transactions; your crypto itself lives on the blockchain.
WhaleOn-Chain Data
A wallet big enough to move the market when it buys or sells.
Wrapped TokenAsset Types
A token representing another asset 1:1 on a different chain, e.g. WBTC is Bitcoin on Ethereum.
Yield FarmingDeFi
Moving money across DeFi protocols to chase the highest returns.
Zaps (Nostr)DeFi
Tiny Bitcoin Lightning payments attached to social posts on the Nostr network.
Zero-Knowledge ProofScaling / L2
A way to prove a statement is true without revealing the underlying data.
ZK RollupScaling / L2
A rollup that proves transactions are valid with cryptography; allows near-instant withdrawals.