List of Cryptocurrency Terms

A-Z Glossary of Cryptocurrency Terms

Cryptocurrency has given rise to lots of new terms. Here is a list of cryptocurrency- and blockchain-related terms. If you know a term we've missed, please tell us using this form.

Term	Definition	Meaning
1hr	1 Hour	Data for the past hour.
24hr	2h Hours	Data for the past 24 hours.
30d	30 Days	Data for the past 30 days.
7d	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.
DD	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.
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.
Shitcoin	Cryptocurrency Likely to Fail	A derogatory term for poor value cryptocurrencies that are likely to fail.
Stablecoins	Cryptocurrencies with Value Pegged to an External Reference	Stablecoins are designed to be less volatile than cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
TUSD	True US Dollar	TUSD is a cryptocurrency stablecoin, the value of which is pegged to the US dollar (USD) at the rate of one TUSD token to one USD.
USDC	USD Coin	USD Coin is a cryptocurrency stablecoin, the value of which is pegged to the US dollar (USD) at the rate of one USDC token to one USD.
USDT	Tether	Tether is a cryptocurrency stablecoin, the value of which is pegged to the US dollar (USD) at the rate of one USDT token to one USD.
Weak Hands	Nervous Investors	Investors who are easily scared by market fluctuations and sell when prices drop, thereby causing further drops in value.
Wei	Smallest Fraction of Ether	One Ether equals 1000000000000000000 Wei.