Crypto Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the cryptocurrency, blockchain and trading terms you will meet as you learn.
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ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit)
An ASIC , or application-specific integrated circuit, is a chip built to perform one task extremely well.
ASIC Resistance
ASIC resistance describes mining algorithms designed to resist ASIC dominance. The aim is to make sure specialized mining chips gain little advantage…
Abnormal Return
An abnormal return describes exceptionally high gains compared with what an investment would normally be expected to earn.
Address
A crypto address is an alphanumeric string that identifies where cryptocurrencies are sent and received on a blockchain.
Airdrop
An airdrop is a token distribution campaign aimed at a specific audience, in which a project sends tokens, usually free of charge, to eligible wallets.
Airnode
Airnode is an oracle node that provides data flow in the API3 protocol. It is open-source software that lets the owner of a web API run its own oracle…
Algorithmic Stablecoin
An algorithmic stablecoin is a stable cryptocurrency whose supply is regulated by algorithms rather than fully backed by reserves of cash or other…
Alpha
Alpha is a measure of an investment’s performance relative to a benchmark. It shows how much better or worse an investment did than its reference point…
Altcoin
Altcoin , short for “alternative coin”, is the name for all cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin.
Anarcho-Capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism is a political philosophy embraced by parts of the crypto community. Closely associated with the economist Murray Rothbard, it argues…
Atomic Swap
An atomic swap is a peer-to-peer token exchange without intermediaries, often between two different blockchains.
Authority Masternode (VeChain)
An authority masternode is the networked server running the VeChainThor full node program that is approved to produce and validate blocks on the…