The crypto glossary A–Z
The words from the charts, the wallet pop-ups and the group chat. Get the meaning, see an example and follow the source.
Self-custody
Controlling the authorization needed to move your own blockchain assets.
Sequencer
A component or participant that orders transactions for execution in a scaling system.
Ser
A playful spelling of sir used to address someone in crypto and NFT conversations.
SHA-256
A cryptographic hash algorithm in the SHA-2 family that produces a 256-bit digest.
Shill
To push a coin or project hard, usually because you want other people to buy or pay attention.
Sidechain
A separate blockchain connected to another chain while using its own consensus security.
Slashing
A protocol penalty that removes stake for specified, provable validator misconduct.
Slippage
The difference between an expected execution result and the result actually obtained.
Slippage tolerance
The maximum unfavorable difference from a quoted trade that a user agrees to accept.
Slot
A scheduled time interval in which a proof-of-stake network may produce a block.
Smart account
An account with programmable rules for authorizing and carrying out actions.
Smart contract
A program on a blockchain that executes defined rules when it is invoked.
Smart contract audit
A scoped security review of smart-contract code and the assumptions around it.
Social recovery
A wallet design in which designated guardians help restore or change account access.
Soft fork
A rule change that narrows what is valid while remaining compatible with the older rules.
Solidity
A programming language commonly used to write smart contracts that compile to EVM bytecode.
Spot market
A market for trading the underlying asset with settlement according to the venue's delivery rules.
Stablecoin
A crypto asset designed to track a reference value, commonly a national currency.
Staking
Committing assets to support a proof-of-stake network under its validation and reward rules.
Stale block
A valid block left outside the chain selected by the network's fork-choice rules.
State
The current data a blockchain records as the result of its accepted transaction history.
State channel
A system where participants exchange authorized state updates offchain and use a blockchain to enforce settlement.
State pruning
Removing unneeded historical state data from a node's local storage while preserving the state it needs to operate.
State root
A cryptographic commitment to blockchain state using its defined authenticated data structure.
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Concept entries explain ideas. Our separate asset registry identifies coins, tokens and networks by source metadata. Sources & standards