GaiaEx Academy

Glossary

489 crypto, blockchain, DeFi, and trading terms — explained in plain language, from HODL to zk-STARK.

489 terms8 categories26 letters

489 terms

5

51% AttackSecurity
Controlling a majority of a network's power to rewrite recent history.Open lesson

A

ABITechnical
Application Binary Interface — how apps encode calls to a smart contract.
Account AbstractionTechnical
Letting smart contracts act as wallets for programmable security and gasless flows.
AddressBasics
A public identifier (a string of characters) where crypto can be sent on a blockchain. Safe to share — it does not expose your private key.Open lesson
Address PoisoningSecurity
Tricking you into copying a scammer's look-alike address from your history.
AI AgentTechnical
Software that pursues goals autonomously, increasingly used in crypto tooling.Open lesson
Air-GappedSecurity
A device never connected to the internet, used to sign transactions offline.
AirdropBasics
A distribution of free tokens to wallets, often to reward early users or bootstrap a community.
Airdrop FarmingBasics
Using protocols early in hopes of qualifying for a future token airdrop.
Algorand (ALGO)Basics
A pure-Proof-of-Stake Layer-1 focused on speed and finality.
Algorithmic StablecoinDeFi
A stablecoin that uses code and incentives — not full reserves — to hold its peg.
Algorithmic TradingTrading
Using pre-programmed rules to automatically place and manage trades, removing emotion and enabling speed.Open lesson
All-Time High (ATH)Trading
The highest price an asset has ever reached.
All-Time Low (ATL)Trading
The lowest price an asset has ever traded at.
AlphaTrading
Return earned above a benchmark.
AltcoinBasics
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. Often higher risk and higher volatility.Open lesson
Altcoin SeasonBasics
A period when altcoins broadly outperform Bitcoin.Open lesson
AMM (Automated Market Maker)DeFi
A smart contract that prices and settles trades from a pool of assets using a formula, instead of an order book.Open lesson
Annual Percentage Rate (APR)DeFi
Yearly return without compounding; contrast with APY.
Aping InBasics
Investing heavily and quickly into an asset, often without much research.
APYDeFi
Annual Percentage Yield — the yearly return on capital including compounding. High APYs usually signal high risk.Open lesson
ArbitrageTrading
Profiting from the same asset trading at different prices across markets by buying low and selling high simultaneously.
AskTrading
The lowest price a seller is currently willing to accept. The gap to the bid is the spread.
Asset AllocationTrading
How a portfolio is divided among asset classes.Open lesson
Auto-CompoundingDeFi
Automatically reinvesting earned rewards to grow returns.
Auto-Deleveraging (ADL)Trading
Reducing opposing positions when the insurance fund is insufficient.
Avalanche (AVAX)Basics
A Layer-1 using subnets and a fast consensus protocol.

B

BacktestingTrading
Testing a strategy on historical data before risking real capital.Open lesson
BackwardationTrading
When futures trade below the expected spot price.
BagholderBasics
Someone left holding an asset that has dropped sharply in value.
Basis PointEconomics
One hundredth of a percent (0.01%), used for rates and fees.
Basis TradeTrading
Profiting from the gap between spot and futures prices.
Bear MarketTrading
A prolonged period of falling prices and negative sentiment.
BEP-20Technical
The token standard on BNB Smart Chain, analogous to ERC-20.
BetaTrading
How much an asset moves relative to the broader market.
BidTrading
The highest price a buyer is currently willing to pay.
Bitcoin (BTC)Basics
The first cryptocurrency, launched in 2009 — a decentralized, hard-capped (21M) digital money.Open lesson
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)Basics
A 2017 Bitcoin fork with larger blocks for cheaper payments.
Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP)Technical
A formal proposal to change the Bitcoin protocol.
Bittensor (TAO)Basics
A network that rewards machine-learning models for useful intelligence.Open lesson
Black SwanEconomics
A rare, high-impact event that is hard to predict in advance.
BlobspaceTechnical
Cheap, temporary data space on Ethereum used by rollups (via blobs).
BlockBlockchain
A batch of transactions bundled together and cryptographically linked to the previous block.Open lesson
Block ExplorerBlockchain
A public website to inspect on-chain data — transactions, addresses, balances, and blocks.Open lesson
Block HeightBlockchain
The number of blocks before a given block in the chain.
Block RewardBlockchain
New coins (plus fees) paid to whoever produces a block.
Block TimeBlockchain
The average interval between blocks on a chain.
BlockchainBlockchain
A shared, append-only ledger replicated across many computers, secured by cryptography and consensus.Open lesson
Blue-Chip NFTNFT
An established, high-value NFT collection seen as relatively safe.
BNBBasics
The native token of BNB Chain, used for fees, staking, and ecosystem utility.
Bollinger BandsTechnical
Volatility bands plotted around a moving average.
BondEconomics
A debt security paying interest over time.
Bonding CurveDeFi
A formula that sets a token's price based on its supply.
BRC-20Technical
An experimental token standard built on Bitcoin Ordinals.
BreakoutTechnical
A price move beyond a defined support or resistance level.
BribeDeFi
Incentives paid to voters to direct emissions toward a specific pool.
BridgeBlockchain
Infrastructure that moves assets or data between blockchains.
Bridge ExploitSecurity
Attacks on cross-chain bridges, historically among the largest crypto hacks.
Bug BountySecurity
A reward program paying researchers to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities.
Bull MarketTrading
A prolonged period of rising prices and optimism.
BundlerTechnical
A service that packages account-abstraction operations into transactions.
BurnEconomics
Permanently removing tokens from circulation by sending them to an unspendable address, reducing supply.Open lesson
Buy the DipTrading
Buying an asset after a price drop, expecting recovery.
BytecodeTechnical
The low-level compiled code a smart contract runs as on-chain.
Byzantine Fault ToleranceTechnical
A system's ability to reach agreement even if some participants act maliciously.

C

Call OptionTrading
An option to buy an asset at the strike price.
CalldataTechnical
The input data sent with a transaction to a contract.
CandlestickTechnical
A chart element showing open, high, low, and close for a period.Open lesson
Cardano (ADA)Basics
A research-driven Proof-of-Stake Layer-1 blockchain.
Carry TradeTrading
Earning the yield difference between holding and funding a position.
CBDCEconomics
Central Bank Digital Currency — a state-issued digital form of fiat money.
CeFiDeFi
Centralized Finance — crypto services run by a custodial company (e.g. an exchange) rather than on-chain code.Open lesson
Central Limit Order Book (CLOB)Trading
An order book matching the best bids and asks, used by most exchanges.
CEXTrading
Centralized Exchange — a platform that custodies funds and matches orders for users.Open lesson
Chain ReorganizationBlockchain
When the network replaces recent blocks with a longer competing chain.
Circuit BreakerSecurity
An automatic halt that pauses a protocol or market under abnormal conditions.
Circulating SupplyEconomics
The number of coins currently available and in public hands.
Cold StorageSecurity
Keeping keys completely offline to protect against remote attacks.
Cold WalletSecurity
A wallet kept offline (e.g. hardware device) for maximum security of long-term holdings.
CollateralDeFi
Assets locked to back a loan or position.
Collateralized Debt Position (CDP)DeFi
A position where locked collateral mints a debt asset like a stablecoin.
CommodityEconomics
A basic tradable good like oil, gold, or wheat.
ComposabilityDeFi
The ability for protocols to plug into each other like 'money legos'.Open lesson
Compound InterestEconomics
Interest earned on both principal and previously earned interest.
Concentrated LiquidityDeFi
Providing liquidity within a chosen price range for higher capital efficiency.
ConfirmationsBlockchain
The number of blocks added after a transaction — more means more finality.
Consensus LayerTechnical
The layer responsible for agreeing on the canonical chain.
Consensus MechanismBlockchain
The process by which a distributed network agrees on the valid state of the ledger (e.g. PoW, PoS).Open lesson
ConsolidationTechnical
A range-bound period of low directional movement.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)Economics
A key gauge of inflation tracking a basket of consumer prices.
ContangoTrading
When futures trade above the expected spot price.
CorrelationTrading
How closely two assets' price movements track each other.
Credit RiskEconomics
The risk that a borrower or counterparty fails to pay.
Cross MarginTrading
Sharing your whole balance as collateral across positions.
Cross-ChainBlockchain
Interactions that span multiple blockchains.
Currency DebasementEconomics
Reducing a currency's value, historically by diluting its content or printing more.
Custodial WalletSecurity
A wallet where a third party (e.g. an exchange) holds your private keys.Open lesson
CustodySecurity
Who controls the private keys. Custodial = a third party holds them; non-custodial = you do.Open lesson

D

DAIDeFi
A decentralized, crypto-collateralized stablecoin soft-pegged to the dollar.
DankshardingTechnical
A future Ethereum design scaling data availability for many rollups.
DAODeFi
Decentralized Autonomous Organization — a community governed by token-holder voting and on-chain rules.Open lesson
DAppBlockchain
Decentralized Application — software whose backend logic runs on a blockchain via smart contracts.Open lesson
Data AvailabilityTechnical
The guarantee that the data behind a block is published and retrievable.
Data Availability LayerTechnical
A layer dedicated to publishing block data so it can be verified.
Day TradingTrading
Opening and closing positions within the same day.
DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging)Trading
Investing a fixed amount on a schedule regardless of price, smoothing out market timing.Open lesson
Death CrossTechnical
A bearish signal when a short MA crosses below a long MA.
DeFiDeFi
Decentralized Finance — permissionless, composable financial services built on smart contracts.Open lesson
DeflationEconomics
A general fall in prices, raising the value of money.
Deflationary TokenEconomics
A token whose supply shrinks over time, often via burns.
DegenBasics
A 'degenerate' trader who takes high-risk, speculative bets.
Delegated Proof of StakeBlockchain
A PoS variant where token holders elect a small set of block producers.
Delegated StakingDeFi
Assigning your stake to a validator without giving up ownership.
DepegEconomics
When a pegged asset loses its target value.
DePINBlockchain
Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks — token-incentivized real-world infrastructure.
Depth ChartTrading
A visualization of buy and sell liquidity across price levels.
DeSciDeFi
Decentralized Science — using crypto rails to fund and share research.
DEXTrading
Decentralized Exchange — trade directly from your wallet without handing over custody.Open lesson
Diamond HandsBasics
Slang for holding an asset through volatility without selling.
Digital SignatureTechnical
Cryptographic proof that a message came from the holder of a private key and wasn't altered.Open lesson
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)Economics
Valuing an asset by the present value of its expected future cash flows.
DivergenceTechnical
When price and an indicator move in opposite directions, hinting at a turn.
DiversificationTrading
Spreading capital across assets to reduce risk.Open lesson
DividendEconomics
A share of company profits paid to shareholders.
Dogecoin (DOGE)Basics
The original meme coin, started as a joke but with a large community.
DojiTechnical
A candle with nearly equal open and close, signaling indecision.Open lesson
Double-SpendingBlockchain
Spending the same digital coin twice. Blockchains prevent it via consensus.Open lesson
DrawdownTrading
The peak-to-trough decline of a portfolio.
Dusting AttackSecurity
Sending tiny amounts of crypto to many addresses to try to de-anonymize owners.
Dynamic NFTNFT
An NFT whose metadata can change based on conditions or events.
DYORBasics
'Do Your Own Research' — verify a project yourself before investing.

E

Emission ScheduleEconomics
The planned rate at which new tokens enter circulation.
Engulfing PatternTechnical
A candle that fully covers the previous one, signaling a possible reversal.
ERC-1155NFT
A multi-token standard supporting both fungible and non-fungible tokens.
ERC-20Technical
The standard interface for fungible tokens on Ethereum, enabling wallets and dApps to support them uniformly.
ERC-4337Technical
The standard enabling account abstraction without changing Ethereum's core.
ERC-721NFT
The Ethereum standard for unique, non-fungible tokens.Open lesson
Ethereum (ETH)Basics
A programmable blockchain — a 'world computer' that runs smart contracts and dApps.Open lesson
Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)Technical
A formal proposal to change the Ethereum protocol.Open lesson
EVMTechnical
The Ethereum Virtual Machine — the runtime that executes smart contracts.
Exchange RateEconomics
The price of one currency in terms of another.
Execution LayerTechnical
The layer that processes transactions and runs smart contracts.
Exit ScamSecurity
When a project disappears with users' funds.Open lesson
ExpectancyTrading
The average expected profit or loss per trade over many trades.
Exponential Moving Average (EMA)Technical
A moving average weighting recent prices more heavily.
Externally Owned Account (EOA)Technical
A normal wallet account controlled by a private key, not a contract.

F

FaucetTechnical
A service that dispenses free testnet tokens to developers.
Federal Reserve (The Fed)Economics
The US central bank that sets monetary policy.
Fee TierTrading
A trading-fee level set by volume, status, or pool type.
FiatEconomics
Government-issued currency not backed by a physical commodity (e.g. USD, EUR).
Fibonacci RetracementTechnical
Levels used to estimate where a pullback may pause or reverse.
Fill-or-Kill (FOK)Trading
Executes the entire order at once or cancels it completely.
FinalityBlockchain
The point at which a transaction is irreversible.
Fiscal PolicyEconomics
Government use of spending and taxation to influence the economy.
Flash LoanDeFi
An uncollateralized loan that must be borrowed and repaid in one transaction.
Flash Loan AttackSecurity
Using an uncollateralized flash loan to manipulate a protocol within one transaction.
Floor PriceNFT
The lowest listed price in an NFT collection.
FOMOBasics
Fear Of Missing Out — buying impulsively because a price is rising fast.
Forex (FX)Economics
The global market for trading national currencies.
ForkBlockchain
A change to a blockchain's rules. A hard fork is non-backward-compatible; a soft fork is compatible.
Formal VerificationSecurity
Mathematically proving a contract behaves exactly as specified.
Fraud ProofTechnical
Evidence used to challenge an invalid optimistic-rollup transaction.
Front-RunningTrading
Placing a transaction ahead of a known pending one to profit.Open lesson
FUDBasics
Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt — negative sentiment, sometimes spread deliberately.
Full NodeBlockchain
A node that stores and verifies the entire blockchain.Open lesson
Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV)Economics
Market cap if the entire max supply were in circulation.
Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE)Technical
Encryption that allows computation on data without decrypting it.
Funding RateTrading
Periodic payments between long and short perpetual traders that keep the perp price near spot.Open lesson
Futures ContractTrading
An agreement to buy or sell an asset at a set price on a future date.

G

GameFiNFT
Gaming + DeFi — games where players own in-game assets as tokens and can earn value.Open lesson
GasBlockchain
The fee paid to execute a transaction or smart contract on a blockchain like Ethereum.
Gas LimitTechnical
The maximum gas a transaction is allowed to consume.
Gas PriceTechnical
The amount paid per unit of gas, usually in gwei.
Gas WarTechnical
Users bidding up gas fees to get included first during high demand.
GaugeDeFi
A mechanism directing token emissions toward chosen liquidity pools.
Generative ArtNFT
Art produced algorithmically, common in NFT collections.
Genesis BlockBlockchain
The very first block of a blockchain.
Golden CrossTechnical
A bullish signal when a short MA crosses above a long MA.
Good-Til-Canceled (GTC)Trading
An order that stays active until filled or manually cancelled.
GovernanceDeFi
How a decentralized protocol makes and enforces collective decisions.Open lesson
Governance AttackSecurity
Acquiring enough votes to pass a malicious proposal.
Governance ProposalDeFi
A formal change put to a vote by token holders.
Governance TokenDeFi
A token that grants voting power over a protocol's decisions.
Grid TradingTrading
Placing staggered buy and sell orders to profit from ranging markets.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)Economics
The total value of goods and services an economy produces.
GweiTechnical
A denomination of ETH (one-billionth) commonly used to price gas.

H

HalvingBlockchain
A scheduled 50% cut in Bitcoin's block reward roughly every four years.Open lesson
HammerTechnical
A bullish reversal candle with a long lower wick.
Hardware WalletSecurity
A physical device that stores private keys offline for strong security.
HashTechnical
A fixed-size fingerprint of data produced by a one-way function; the same input always yields the same hash.Open lesson
Hash RateBlockchain
The total computing power securing a Proof-of-Work network.
HedgingTrading
Taking an offsetting position to reduce risk.
High-Frequency Trading (HFT)Trading
Automated trading exploiting tiny edges at very high speed.
HODLBasics
To hold an asset long-term rather than trade it; from a famous misspelling of 'hold'.
HoneypotSecurity
A token/contract designed so buyers can buy but never sell.
Hot WalletSecurity
A wallet connected to the internet — convenient for spending, more exposed than cold storage.
HyperinflationEconomics
Extremely rapid, out-of-control inflation that destroys a currency's value.

I

Iceberg OrderTrading
A large order split so only a small part is visible at a time.
Ichimoku CloudTechnical
A multi-line indicator showing trend, momentum, and support/resistance.
Immediate-or-Cancel (IOC)Trading
Fills whatever it can instantly and cancels the rest.
Impermanent LossDeFi
The loss a liquidity provider faces when pooled asset prices diverge versus simply holding them.Open lesson
Implied VolatilityTrading
The market's expectation of future volatility, derived from option prices.
Index PriceTrading
A reference spot price aggregated from several exchanges.
Infinite Mint ExploitSecurity
A bug letting an attacker mint unlimited tokens, crashing the price.
InflationEconomics
A general rise in prices over time, reducing the purchasing power of money.
Inflationary TokenEconomics
A token whose supply grows over time.
Initial Coin Offering (ICO)Economics
An early fundraising method selling new tokens to the public.
Initial DEX Offering (IDO)Economics
A token launch conducted directly on a decentralized exchange.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)Economics
A company's first sale of shares to the public.
InscriptionNFT
Data permanently written onto a satoshi via the Ordinals protocol.
Insurance FundTrading
A reserve that covers losses when liquidations can't fully close positions.
IntentTechnical
Specifying a desired outcome and letting solvers find the best way to achieve it.
Interest RateEconomics
The cost of borrowing money, set largely by central banks.
InteroperabilityBlockchain
The ability of different blockchains to communicate and share value.
IPFSTechnical
A distributed file system often used to store NFT media off-chain.
Isolated MarginTrading
Limiting a position's collateral to a set amount.

K

Kelly CriterionTrading
A formula for sizing bets to maximize long-term growth.
KYC / AMLSecurity
Know Your Customer / Anti-Money-Laundering — identity and compliance checks used by regulated platforms.

L

Large Language Model (LLM)Technical
An AI model trained to predict and generate text from context.Open lesson
LatencyTechnical
The delay between an action and its effect — critical in fast trading.
LaunchpadEconomics
A platform that helps new projects raise funds and distribute tokens.
Layer 1Blockchain
A base blockchain (e.g. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana) that settles its own transactions.Open lesson
Layer 2Blockchain
A protocol built atop a Layer 1 to scale it — processing transactions off-chain then settling on-chain.Open lesson
Lending ProtocolDeFi
A DeFi app where users supply assets to earn yield and borrowers post collateral.
LeverageTrading
Borrowed capital used to amplify a position — magnifying both gains and losses.Open lesson
Light ClientTechnical
A lightweight node that verifies data without storing the whole chain.
Lightning NetworkTechnical
A Bitcoin Layer-2 for fast, cheap, off-chain payments.Open lesson
Limit OrderTrading
An order to buy or sell only at a specified price or better.
Liquid Restaking Token (LRT)DeFi
A tradable token representing restaked assets securing extra services.
Liquid StakingDeFi
Staking while receiving a tradable token representing the staked position.
LiquidationTrading
Forced closure of a leveraged position when margin can no longer cover its losses.Open lesson
Liquidation PenaltyDeFi
An extra fee taken when collateral is liquidated to cover risk.
Liquidation PriceTrading
The price at which a leveraged position is force-closed.Open lesson
LiquidityTrading
How easily an asset can be bought or sold without moving its price much.
Liquidity MiningDeFi
Earning token rewards for supplying liquidity to a protocol.Open lesson
Liquidity PoolDeFi
A smart-contract reserve of paired assets that traders swap against on an AMM.Open lesson
Liquidity Provider (LP) TokenDeFi
A token representing your share of a liquidity pool.Open lesson
Litecoin (LTC)Basics
An early Bitcoin fork designed for faster, cheaper payments.
Loan-to-Value (LTV)DeFi
The ratio of a loan to the value of its collateral.
Long PositionTrading
Betting an asset's price will rise.

M

M2 Money SupplyEconomics
A broad measure of money in an economy, watched as a liquidity gauge.
MACDTechnical
A trend-momentum indicator from the difference of two moving averages.
Machine LearningTechnical
Algorithms that learn patterns from data instead of being explicitly programmed.Open lesson
MainnetTechnical
A blockchain's live production network with real value.
Maintenance MarginTrading
The minimum collateral required to keep a position open.
Maker / TakerTrading
A maker adds liquidity with a resting order; a taker removes it with a market order. Fees differ.
MarginTrading
Collateral posted to open and maintain a leveraged position.Open lesson
Margin CallTrading
A demand to add collateral as a position approaches liquidation.
Mark PriceTrading
A fair price used to value positions and trigger liquidations.Open lesson
Market CapTrading
Price multiplied by circulating supply — a rough measure of an asset's total value.
Market MakerTrading
A participant that continuously quotes buy and sell prices to provide liquidity.
Market OrderTrading
An order that executes immediately at the best available price.
Max PainTrading
The price at which the most option holders lose money at expiry.
Max SupplyEconomics
The maximum number of coins that will ever exist.Open lesson
MaximalistBasics
Someone who believes one chain or coin (often Bitcoin) is vastly superior to all others.
Medium of ExchangeEconomics
Something widely accepted in trade for goods and services.
Meme CoinBasics
A token driven mainly by community and hype rather than fundamentals; highly speculative.Open lesson
MempoolTechnical
The waiting area of pending transactions before they're included in a block.
Merkle TreeTechnical
A hash tree that lets a blockchain efficiently and securely verify large sets of transactions.Open lesson
MetaverseNFT
Persistent virtual worlds where users own digital assets and identity.Open lesson
MEVTechnical
Maximal Extractable Value — profit validators/searchers capture by reordering or inserting transactions.Open lesson
MinerBlockchain
A participant who produces blocks in a Proof-of-Work network.
MiningBlockchain
Using computing power to validate transactions and earn block rewards in PoW.Open lesson
Mining DifficultyBlockchain
How hard it is to find a valid block; adjusts to keep block time steady.
Mint PassNFT
A token granting the right to mint an upcoming NFT drop.
MintingNFT
Creating a new token or NFT on-chain.Open lesson
Modular BlockchainTechnical
A design splitting execution, settlement, consensus, and data availability into separate layers.
Monero (XMR)Security
A privacy-focused coin that obscures sender, receiver, and amount.
Monetary PolicyEconomics
How a central bank manages money supply and interest rates.
Money LegosDeFi
The idea that composable DeFi protocols can be stacked together.
Monolithic BlockchainTechnical
A chain that handles execution, consensus, and data in one layer.
MooningBasics
Slang for a price rising rapidly and sharply.
Move-to-EarnNFT
Apps that reward real-world physical activity with tokens.
Moving AverageTechnical
An average price over a window, smoothing trend direction.Open lesson
MPC WalletSecurity
A wallet that splits key control across parties using multi-party computation — no single point of failure.
Multi-Party Computation (MPC)Security
Splitting a key across parties so no single party ever holds the whole secret.
MultisigSecurity
A wallet requiring multiple keys to approve a transaction (e.g. 2-of-3).

N

Nakamoto ConsensusTechnical
Bitcoin's combination of Proof of Work and the longest-chain rule to achieve decentralized agreement.Open lesson
NEAR ProtocolBasics
A sharded, developer-friendly Layer-1 blockchain.
Neural NetworkTechnical
A layered model loosely inspired by the brain, core to deep learning.Open lesson
NFTNFT
Non-Fungible Token — a unique, non-interchangeable token representing ownership of a specific item.Open lesson
NFT RarityNFT
How uncommon an NFT's traits are within its collection.
NFT RevealNFT
When a minted NFT's final art and traits become visible.
NFT RoyaltiesNFT
A cut of secondary sales paid back to the original creator.
NGMIBasics
'Not Gonna Make It' — mocking a bad decision or weak conviction.
NocoinerBasics
Someone who owns no crypto, often a skeptic.
NodeBlockchain
A computer that stores and validates a blockchain's ledger.Open lesson
Non-Custodial WalletSecurity
A wallet where only you hold the private keys and control the funds.Open lesson
NonceTechnical
A per-account counter that orders transactions and prevents replays.
Not Financial Advice (NFA)Basics
A disclaimer that a statement is opinion, not investment advice.
Notional ValueTrading
The total value of a position, including leverage.

O

OCO OrderTrading
One-Cancels-the-Other — pairing two orders so filling one cancels the other.
Off-ChainBlockchain
Data or activity handled outside the blockchain, sometimes settled on it later.
On-ChainBlockchain
Data or activity recorded directly on the blockchain.
Open InterestTrading
The total number of outstanding derivative contracts.
Optimistic RollupTechnical
A rollup that assumes transactions are valid unless challenged within a window.
Options ContractTrading
A right (not obligation) to buy or sell at a set price by an expiry.
OracleDeFi
A service that feeds real-world data (like prices) to smart contracts on-chain.
Oracle ManipulationSecurity
Exploiting a faulty price feed to drain a protocol.
Order BookTrading
A live list of resting buy and sell orders at each price level.
Order FlowTechnical
The real-time stream of buy and sell orders hitting the market.Open lesson
Order Matching EngineTrading
The system that pairs compatible buy and sell orders.Open lesson
OrdinalsNFT
A method of inscribing data onto individual satoshis to make Bitcoin NFTs.
Orphan BlockBlockchain
A valid block left out of the canonical chain.
Over-CollateralizationDeFi
Posting more collateral than you borrow to absorb volatility.
Over-the-Counter (OTC)Trading
Large trades negotiated privately, off the public order book.
OverfittingTechnical
When a model memorizes noise and fails to generalize to new data.Open lesson

P

Paper HandsBasics
Selling at the first sign of trouble; the opposite of diamond hands.
Paper WalletSecurity
Keys printed on paper for offline storage; fragile and largely outdated.
PassphraseSecurity
An optional extra word added to a seed phrase for a hidden wallet.
PaymasterTechnical
A contract that can sponsor gas fees on a user's behalf.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P)Blockchain
Direct interaction between participants with no central server.
Pegged AssetEconomics
An asset designed to track the value of another, like a USD stablecoin.Open lesson
Pepe (PEPE)Basics
A popular meme coin based on the Pepe the Frog character.
Perpetual DEXTrading
A decentralized exchange for trading perpetual futures.
Perpetual FutureTrading
A futures contract with no expiry, kept near spot price by funding payments.
Perpetual SwapTrading
Another name for a perpetual future — a derivative with no expiry.
PFPNFT
Profile-Picture NFTs used as online identity (e.g. avatar collections).
PhishingSecurity
A scam that tricks you into revealing keys or approving malicious transactions via fake sites/messages.Open lesson
Play-to-EarnNFT
Game models where players earn tradable tokens or NFTs.Open lesson
Points ProgramDeFi
Off-chain reward points used by protocols to incentivize early usage.
Ponzi SchemeSecurity
A fraud paying earlier investors with later investors' money until it collapses.
Position TradingTrading
Holding trades for weeks to months based on bigger trends.
Post-Only OrderTrading
An order that only adds liquidity, never taking it (avoids taker fees).
Present ValueEconomics
What a future sum is worth today after discounting.
Price ImpactTrading
How much your own trade moves the price in a pool.
Private KeySecurity
The secret that authorizes spending from an address. Anyone with it controls the funds — never share it.Open lesson
Profit and Loss (PnL)Trading
The gain or loss on positions over a period.
Proof of HistoryBlockchain
A timestamping method used by Solana to order events efficiently.
Proof of ReservesSecurity
Cryptographic evidence that a custodian holds the assets it claims to.
Proof of Stake (PoS)Blockchain
A consensus method that selects validators by the amount of crypto they stake as collateral.Open lesson
Proof of Work (PoW)Blockchain
A consensus method where miners expend computing power to secure the chain (e.g. Bitcoin).Open lesson
Proto-Danksharding (EIP-4844)Technical
An Ethereum upgrade adding blobs to cut rollup data costs.Open lesson
Protocol-Owned LiquidityDeFi
Liquidity a protocol owns itself rather than renting from users.
Proxy ContractTechnical
A contract that forwards calls to a logic contract, enabling upgrades.
Public KeySecurity
The shareable counterpart to a private key, from which addresses are derived.Open lesson
PullbackTechnical
A temporary reversal within a larger trend.
Pump and DumpTrading
Inflating a price with hype, then selling onto buyers who bought the spike.Open lesson
Purchasing PowerEconomics
How much a unit of money can buy; eroded by inflation.
Put OptionTrading
An option to sell an asset at the strike price.

Q

Quantitative EasingEconomics
A central bank policy of buying assets to inject money into the economy and lower rates.
Quantitative TighteningEconomics
A central bank shrinking its balance sheet to drain money from the economy.
QuorumDeFi
The minimum participation needed for a vote to count.

R

Real YieldDeFi
Protocol yield paid from genuine revenue rather than token emissions.
Realized PnLTrading
Locked-in gains or losses from closed positions.
RebalancingTrading
Restoring a portfolio to its target weights over time.
RecessionEconomics
A significant, broad decline in economic activity.
Reentrancy AttackSecurity
Exploiting a contract by re-calling it before its first call finishes.Open lesson
RektBasics
Slang for suffering heavy losses ('wrecked').
Relative Strength Index (RSI)Technical
A momentum oscillator measuring overbought/oversold conditions.Open lesson
RelayerTechnical
A service that forwards messages or transactions between systems or chains.
RestakingDeFi
Reusing staked assets to help secure additional services for extra yield and risk.
Return on Investment (ROI)Trading
The percentage gain or loss relative to the amount invested.
Revoke ApprovalSecurity
Removing a contract's permission to spend your tokens to reduce risk.
Risk-On / Risk-OffEconomics
Market regimes where investors favor risky assets or flee to safety.
Risk/Reward RatioTrading
The potential loss compared to the potential gain on a trade.Open lesson
RollupTechnical
A Layer-2 that executes transactions off-chain and posts compressed data on-chain.Open lesson
RPC EndpointTechnical
An interface apps use to read from and send transactions to a blockchain.
Rug PullSecurity
A scam where a team drains liquidity or abandons a project, leaving holders with worthless tokens.Open lesson
RunesTechnical
A Bitcoin protocol for issuing fungible tokens efficiently.
RWADeFi
Real-World Assets — tokenized versions of off-chain assets like bonds, real estate, or commodities.
RWA TokenizationDeFi
Issuing on-chain tokens that represent real-world assets.

S

Safe-Haven AssetEconomics
An asset expected to hold value during turmoil, like gold.
Sandwich AttackSecurity
An MEV attack placing trades before and after a victim's to profit from the price move.Open lesson
Satoshi (Sat)Basics
The smallest unit of Bitcoin — one hundred-millionth (0.00000001) of a BTC.Open lesson
ScalpingTrading
Making many small trades to profit from tiny price moves.
Secure EnclaveSecurity
A hardware-isolated area that protects keys on a device.
Security TokenEconomics
A token representing a regulated financial asset like equity or debt.
Seed PhraseSecurity
A list of words that can regenerate your wallet and all its keys. Guard it like the keys themselves.
SegWitTechnical
A Bitcoin upgrade that restructured transaction data to improve capacity.
Self-CustodySecurity
Holding your own keys instead of trusting a custodian.
SequencerTechnical
The component that orders transactions on a rollup.
SettlementTrading
The final transfer of assets that completes a trade.
Settlement LayerTechnical
The base layer where transactions achieve final, secure settlement.
Shamir's Secret SharingSecurity
Splitting a secret into shares where a minimum number reconstruct it.
ShardingTechnical
Splitting a blockchain into parallel partitions to increase throughput.
Sharpe RatioTrading
A measure of risk-adjusted return — excess return per unit of volatility.
ShillBasics
To heavily promote an asset, often for personal gain.
Short PositionTrading
Betting an asset's price will fall, often by borrowing and selling.
Short SqueezeTrading
A sharp rally that forces shorts to buy back, pushing price higher still.
SidechainBlockchain
An independent chain connected to a main chain via a bridge.
SIM SwapSecurity
Hijacking a phone number to bypass SMS-based security.
Single-Sided LiquidityDeFi
Providing only one asset to a pool, with the protocol handling the pairing.
SlashingBlockchain
Penalizing a validator's stake for misbehavior or downtime.
SlippageTrading
The difference between expected and executed price, common in low-liquidity or fast markets.
Slippage ToleranceTrading
The maximum price change you'll accept before a swap fails.
Smart AccountTechnical
A wallet powered by a smart contract for programmable security.
Smart ContractBlockchain
Self-executing code on a blockchain that runs exactly as written when conditions are met.Open lesson
Smart Contract AuditSecurity
A professional review of contract code to find vulnerabilities before launch.
SnapshotBlockchain
A record of balances at a specific block, often used for airdrops or votes.
Social EngineeringSecurity
Manipulating people into revealing secrets rather than hacking systems.
SocialFiBlockchain
Social platforms with built-in tokenized ownership and rewards.
Soft LandingEconomics
Cooling inflation without triggering a recession.
Software WalletSecurity
A wallet app on a phone or computer; convenient but internet-connected.
Solana (SOL)Basics
A high-throughput Layer-1 known for low fees and fast finality.
SolidityTechnical
The most common programming language for Ethereum smart contracts.Open lesson
Sortino RatioTrading
A risk-adjusted return measure penalizing only downside volatility.
Soulbound TokenNFT
A non-transferable token tied to one identity, used for credentials.
Sound MoneyEconomics
Money that holds value and resists debasement, often cited for Bitcoin.
SpoofingTrading
Placing fake orders to mislead other traders, then cancelling them.
Spot TradingTrading
Buying or selling an asset for immediate delivery at the current price (no leverage or expiry).
SpreadTrading
The gap between the best bid and best ask.
Stability FeeDeFi
Interest charged on debt minted against crypto collateral.
StablecoinDeFi
A token designed to hold a steady value, usually pegged to a fiat currency like the US dollar.Open lesson
StableSwapDeFi
An AMM curve optimized for low-slippage swaps between similar-priced assets.
Stacking SatsBasics
Accumulating small amounts of Bitcoin regularly over time.Open lesson
StagflationEconomics
High inflation combined with stagnant growth and high unemployment.
StakingDeFi
Locking crypto to help secure a Proof-of-Stake network in exchange for rewards.
Staking PoolDeFi
Pooling stake with others to participate without running a validator.
State ChannelTechnical
An off-chain channel where parties transact freely and settle on-chain later.
StockEconomics
A share of ownership in a company.
Stop-Limit OrderTrading
A stop trigger that places a limit order once a price is reached.
Stop-LossTrading
An order that automatically exits a position to cap losses at a chosen level.Open lesson
Store of ValueEconomics
An asset that reliably preserves purchasing power over time.Open lesson
Strike PriceTrading
The fixed price at which an option can be exercised.
Sui (SUI)Basics
A Layer-1 using the Move language and an object-centric data model.
Support / ResistanceTechnical
Price levels where buying (support) or selling (resistance) pressure historically clusters.Open lesson
Sweep the FloorNFT
Buying many of a collection's cheapest NFTs at once.
Swing TradingTrading
Holding positions for days to weeks to capture medium-term moves.Open lesson
Sybil AttackSecurity
One actor creating many fake identities to gain disproportionate influence.
Synthetic AssetDeFi
A tokenized derivative that tracks the price of another asset on-chain.
Systemic RiskEconomics
The risk that one failure cascades across a whole financial system.

T

Take-ProfitTrading
An order that closes a position once a target profit is reached.Open lesson
TaprootTechnical
A Bitcoin upgrade improving privacy and smart-contract flexibility.
Technical AnalysisTechnical
Studying price and volume history to estimate probable future moves.Open lesson
TestnetTechnical
A test network using valueless tokens for development.
Tether (USDT)DeFi
The largest fiat-backed stablecoin, pegged to the US dollar.
The FlippeningBasics
A hypothetical moment when Ethereum overtakes Bitcoin in market cap.Open lesson
The MergeBlockchain
Ethereum's 2022 transition from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake.Open lesson
Threshold Signature (TSS)Security
An MPC scheme where a threshold of parties jointly produce one signature.
TimelockTechnical
A delay enforced before a privileged action executes, improving safety.
Token ApprovalSecurity
Permission a contract gets to spend your tokens — over-broad approvals are a common exploit vector.
Token BuybackEconomics
A protocol using revenue to buy and often burn its own token.
Token Generation Event (TGE)Economics
The moment a project's token is first created and distributed.
Token StandardTechnical
A shared interface (like ERC-20) that lets wallets and apps support tokens uniformly.
Tokenized TreasuryDeFi
An on-chain token backed by short-term government debt.
TokenomicsEconomics
The economic design of a token — its supply, demand, incentives, and distribution.Open lesson
Total SupplyEconomics
All coins that exist now, minus any burned.
TradFiEconomics
Traditional Finance — banks, brokers, and regulated institutions, contrasted with DeFi.Open lesson
Trading VolumeTechnical
The amount of an asset traded over a period.
Trailing StopTrading
A stop that follows the price by a set distance to lock in gains.
Treasury BillEconomics
Short-term government debt seen as a near risk-free asset.
TrendTechnical
The general direction of a market over time.
TRON (TRX)Basics
A Layer-1 widely used for stablecoin transfers.
Trusted SetupTechnical
A one-time ceremony generating parameters for some zk systems.
TVL (Total Value Locked)DeFi
The total value of assets deposited in a DeFi protocol — a gauge of size and adoption.Open lesson
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)Security
A second proof of identity beyond a password, like an authenticator code.Open lesson

U

Unit of AccountEconomics
A standard measure used to price goods and record value.
Unrealized PnLTrading
Paper gains or losses on open positions not yet closed.
Upgradeable ContractTechnical
A contract whose logic can be replaced while keeping its address and state.
USD Coin (USDC)DeFi
A regulated, fiat-backed US-dollar stablecoin.
Utility TokenEconomics
A token that grants access to a product or service.Open lesson
UTXOTechnical
Unspent Transaction Output — Bitcoin's model where your balance is the sum of spendable outputs.Open lesson

V

ValidatorBlockchain
A staker who proposes and attests to blocks in Proof of Stake.Open lesson
Validity ProofTechnical
A cryptographic proof that a batch of transactions is correct.
ValidiumTechnical
A scaling solution using validity proofs with off-chain data availability.
Value at Risk (VaR)Trading
An estimate of the maximum likely loss over a period at a confidence level.
Vampire AttackDeFi
Luring liquidity away from a rival protocol with aggressive incentives.
Velocity of MoneyEconomics
How quickly money changes hands in an economy.
VestingEconomics
Releasing tokens to teams or investors gradually over time.Open lesson
Vesting CliffEconomics
An initial period during which no vested tokens unlock.
VolatilityTrading
How sharply a price swings over time — higher volatility means higher risk and opportunity.
Vote-Escrowed TokenomicsDeFi
Locking governance tokens for a time to boost voting power and rewards.
VWAPTechnical
Volume-Weighted Average Price — the average price weighted by volume.Open lesson

W

WAGMIBasics
'We're All Gonna Make It' — an optimistic community rallying cry.
WalletBasics
Software or hardware that stores the private keys controlling your on-chain assets.Open lesson
Wallet DrainerSecurity
Malicious code that empties a wallet once the victim signs a transaction.
Wash TradingTrading
Faking volume by repeatedly trading with yourself.
Weak HandsBasics
Investors who panic-sell during volatility.
Web3Blockchain
An internet vision where users own their data and assets via blockchains, rather than platforms owning them.Open lesson
WeiTechnical
The smallest unit of ETH — 10^-18 of one ether.
WhaleBasics
A holder large enough to move markets with their trades.
WhitelistBasics
A pre-approved list of addresses allowed to participate in a sale or mint.
Win RateTrading
The share of trades that are profitable.
Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC)DeFi
An ERC-20 token backed 1:1 by Bitcoin for use in Ethereum DeFi.
Wrapped Ether (WETH)DeFi
An ERC-20 wrapper around ETH so it conforms to the token standard.
Wrapped TokenDeFi
A token representing another asset 1:1 so it can be used on a different chain.

X

XRPBasics
The native asset of the XRP Ledger, focused on fast cross-border payments.

Y

Yield AggregatorDeFi
A protocol that automatically routes funds to the best available yield.
Yield CurveEconomics
A plot of bond yields across maturities; its shape signals economic expectations.
Yield FarmingDeFi
Deploying capital across DeFi protocols to earn rewards, often with elevated risk.Open lesson
Yield VaultDeFi
A smart contract that auto-deploys deposits into yield strategies.

Z

Zcash (ZEC)Security
A privacy coin using zero-knowledge proofs for shielded transactions.
Zero-Knowledge ProofTechnical
A method to prove a statement is true without revealing the underlying data — key to privacy and scaling.
ZK-RollupTechnical
A rollup that proves validity with zero-knowledge cryptographic proofs.
zk-SNARKTechnical
A succinct zero-knowledge proof that is small and fast to verify.
zk-STARKTechnical
A zero-knowledge proof that is transparent and quantum-resistant, needing no trusted setup.
zkEVMTechnical
An EVM-compatible rollup that proves execution with zero-knowledge proofs.