List of Cryptocurrency Terms

A-Z Glossary of Cryptocurrency Terms

home▸Cryptocurrency Terms

Cryptocurrency has given rise to lots of new terms. Here is a list of cryptocurrency- and blockchain-related terms.

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term

meaning

1hr

(1 Hour)

Data for the past hour.

24hr

(24 Hours)

Data for the past 24 hours.

30d

(30 Days)

Data for the past 30 days.

(7 Days)

Data for the past 7 days.

Algo-Trading

(Algorithmic Trading)

Automated trading system where buy and sell orders are placed according to the rules of a computer program or algorithm.

Altcoins

(Alternative Coins)

Cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin (e.g., Ether, Litecoin, Monero, Namecoin).

AMOs

(Algorithmic Market Operations)

Automatically controlled supply of algorithmic stablecoins.

Algorithmic Stablecoins

(Stable Cryptocurrencies Based on an Algorithm)

Cryptocurrencies based on an algorithm which can issue more coins when its price increases and buy them off the market when the price decreases.

ATH

(All-Time High)

The highest point that a cryptocurrency has been in history.

ATL

(All-Time Low)

The lowest point that a cryptocurrency has been in history.

AML

(Anti-Money Laundering)

The laws, regulations, and procedures intended to prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income.

AMLD5

(Anti-Money Laundering Directive Nº 5)

The European Union's 5th anti-money laundering directive.

API

(Application Programming Interface)

Set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications.

ASIC

(Application-Specific Integrated Circuit)

Device designed for mining cryptocurrencies.

Bagholder

(Shareholder Left Holding Worthless Assets)

An investor who holds on to stocks, shares, tokens or coins despite a drop in value.

Bear

(Negative Market)

A market in which prices are falling.

Bitcoin

(Type of Cryptocurrency)

Created and released in 2009 by an anonymous figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto.

Blockchain

(Online Ledger)

Public ledger in which events (e.g., cryptocurrency transactions) are recorded.

BTFD

(Buy the F*cking Dip)

A recommendation to to buy a cryptocurrency when the price is low.

Bull

(Positive Market)

A market in which prices are rising.

Cryptocurrency

(Digital or Virtual Currency)

Cryptocurrencies are designed to work as a medium of exchange in place of official currencies. They use cryptography to secure transactions, control the creation of additional units, and to verify the transfer of assets.

dAPI

(Decentralized API)

API services that are intrinsically interoperable with blockchain technology.

(Due Diligence)

An appropriately detailed study performed to confirm facts or details before entering into a proposed transaction.

Diamond Hands

(Someone who Holds Assets Adamantly)

Investors who hold their position and refuse to sell, even if prices drop or offer quick gains.

DYOR

(Do Your Own Research)

A warning to would-be investors to complete due diligence before investing.

ETF

(Exchange Traded Fund)

Marketable security that tracks an index, commodity, bonds, or a basket of assets and trades on stock exchanges.

ETH

(Ether)

The native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum open-source blockchain.

Fiat

(Government Supported Currency)

Money certified by a government as legal tender, accepted in payment of both public and private debts.

Fish

(Small Investor)

Someone who holds a small amount of cryptocurrency.

FTX

(Cryptocurrency Exchange Firm)

Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange that filed for bankruptcy in November 2022.

FUD

(Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt)

The perceived strategy to negatively influence perception of cryptocurrencies.

Fudster

(Critic of Cryptocurrencies)

Anyone who negatively comments on cryptocurrencies, thereby engaging in the spreading of fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Fungible

(Mutually Interchangeable)

An item (such as cryptocurrency) that is essentially indistinguishable from another and is equivalent in value.

Gay Bear

(Type of Investor)

An investor who expects to profit from a drop in price.

HODL

(Hold On For Dear Life)

A recommendation to an investor in cryptocurrency to maintain their investment, even if the value is dropping dramatically.

ICO

(Initial Coin Offering)

A crowdfunding mechanism by which some start-up companies raise capital, issuing "tokens" in exchange for legal tender or other cryptocurrencies.

Mining

(Verifying Blockchain Transactions)

A process in which blocks are added to a blockchain, thereby verifying transactions. It is also the process through which new some cryptocurrency coins are created.

No-Coiner

(Non-Believer in Cryptocurrencies)

A person who does not hold cryptocurrencies and who insists that they have little value and/or are doomed to fail.

NFT

(Non-Fungible Token)

A unique entry on a blockchain, which can represent items that cannot be replicated (such as original works of digital art, original songs, unique images, trading cards, etc).

Rekt

(Wrecked)

A slang term for an investor in a cryptocurrency who has lost everything because of a drop in the value of their holdings.

Satoshi

(Unit of Bitcoin)

The smallest unit of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Scamcoin

(Fake Cryptocurrency)

Cryptocurrencies created to make money for the creator by stealing from investors.

Shilling

(Hyping Cryptocurrency)

Heavily promoting a cryptocurrency, often with no regard for the quality of the product.