Crypto Glossary

An airdrop is a distribution of free cryptocurrency tokens to wallet addresses, typically used for marketing new projects, rewarding early users, or decentralizing token ownership.…

Altcoin — short for “alternative coin” — refers to any cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin. This includes everything from major platforms like Ethereum and Solana to…

ATH stands for All-Time High — the highest price a cryptocurrency has ever traded at throughout its history. ATH levels carry psychological significance far beyond…

A bear market is an extended period during which cryptocurrency prices decline and investor sentiment turns negative. The term derives from the way bears attack…

Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency, launched in January 2009 by the pseudonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto. It introduced both blockchain technology and the revolutionary concept of…

A blockchain is a distributed database shared across a network of computers. Each “block” contains transaction data, a timestamp, and a cryptographic link to the…

A bull market is an extended period during which cryptocurrency prices generally rise and investor sentiment remains optimistic. The term comes from the way bulls…

A CEX (centralized exchange) is a cryptocurrency trading platform operated by a company that facilitates buying, selling, and trading digital assets. Unlike decentralized exchanges, CEXs…

DeFi — short for decentralized finance — refers to financial applications built on blockchain networks that operate without traditional intermediaries like banks, brokerages, or exchanges.…

A DEX (decentralized exchange) is a cryptocurrency trading platform that operates without a central authority holding user funds or controlling operations. Unlike traditional exchanges run…

A dip is a temporary decline in cryptocurrency prices that many investors view as a buying opportunity. The phrase “buy the dip” has become a…

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain platform that extended Bitcoin’s innovation by adding programmability. While Bitcoin enables peer-to-peer value transfer, Ethereum allows developers to build and…

FOMO — Fear Of Missing Out — describes the anxiety investors feel when watching cryptocurrency prices rise without them, often leading to impulsive buying decisions…

FUD stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt — a term describing negative information, whether accurate or misleading, that spreads through cryptocurrency markets and influences investor…

Gas fees are the costs users pay to execute transactions and smart contract operations on a blockchain network. The term originated with Ethereum but the…

HODL is crypto slang for holding onto your cryptocurrency investments through market volatility rather than selling during price drops. The term originated from a typo…

An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is a cryptocurrency fundraising method where a project sells newly created tokens to investors in exchange for established cryptocurrencies like…

Liquidity measures how easily a cryptocurrency can be converted to cash or other assets without significantly impacting its market price. High liquidity means you can…

Market capitalization (market cap) measures the total value of a cryptocurrency by multiplying its current price by the circulating supply. A token priced at $100…

Mining is the process by which Proof of Work blockchains like Bitcoin validate transactions, add new blocks to the chain, and distribute newly created cryptocurrency.…

An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a unique digital asset whose ownership is recorded on a blockchain. Unlike fungible assets such as Bitcoin where each unit…

A private key is a cryptographic code that provides complete control over a cryptocurrency wallet and its contents. Think of it as the ultimate password…

A public key (and its derived wallet address) is the cryptographic counterpart to a private key — it can be shared freely to receive cryptocurrency…

A pump and dump is a market manipulation scheme where organizers artificially inflate an asset’s price through misleading promotion, then sell their holdings to buyers…

A rug pull is a cryptocurrency scam where developers create a seemingly legitimate project, attract investment, then disappear with the funds — “pulling the rug”…

A smart contract is a program stored on a blockchain that executes automatically when predetermined conditions are met. Despite the name, smart contracts aren’t particularly…

Staking is the process of locking up cryptocurrency to participate in a Proof of Stake blockchain’s consensus mechanism, earning rewards in return. It’s how networks…

A token is a cryptocurrency that operates on another blockchain’s infrastructure rather than having its own independent chain. While coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum run…

A cryptocurrency wallet is a tool for storing and managing the private keys that control access to your digital assets. Despite the name, wallets don’t…

A whale is a cryptocurrency holder whose position is large enough to potentially influence market prices. The term comes from gambling, where “high rollers” are…