Consensus
The mechanism by which a blockchain network agrees on the next valid block. Proof-of-work (Bitcoin) relies on miners expending energy to solve puzzles. Proof-of-stake…
Glossary
Glossary — crypto terms, defined
80 articles · refreshed Jun 10, 2026
Cold storage
Storage of cryptocurrency private keys on devices that are not connected to the internet — typically hardware wallets (Ledger, Trezor) or, for the security-paranoid,…
CEX
Centralized Exchange — a platform where users trade cryptocurrency through an intermediary (Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, OKX). CEXes hold customer funds in custody, match orders…
Bull market
A sustained period of rising prices. Crypto bull markets typically last 12–24 months and feature parabolic phases that compress most of the cycle's gains…
BTC Dominance
Bitcoin's share of total cryptocurrency market capitalization, expressed as a percentage. BTC dominance rises when Bitcoin outperforms altcoins (or altcoins underperform Bitcoin). The metric…
Burn
Permanent removal of tokens from circulating supply by sending them to an address with no known private key. Some protocols burn tokens algorithmically (Ethereum's…
Bridge
Infrastructure that moves assets between separate blockchains. Bridges typically lock assets on the source chain and mint a wrapped representation on the destination chain.…
Blockchain
A distributed, append-only ledger of transactions secured cryptographically and validated by a network of nodes. Each block references the previous block's hash, making history…
Block
A batch of transactions added to a blockchain. Each block contains a header (timestamp, previous-block hash, Merkle root) and a list of transactions. Bitcoin…
Bitcoin
The first cryptocurrency, launched in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system secured by proof-of-work mining. The protocol…