Gas price and gas limit answer different questions: how expensive is each unit of work, and how much work may this transaction use? With Ethereum's modern fee system, wallets use a base fee, a priority fee and fee caps to calculate what you actually pay per gas unit.
IN THE WILD
Two swaps use the same amount of gas, but the one sent during higher network demand costs more because its gas price is higher.
Every chain needs a starting point. The genesis block anchors that history, and its expected details are normally built into the network's starting configuration. Two networks can use similar software while having different genesis blocks, which helps explain why 'same code' doesn't mean 'same blockchain.'
IN THE WILD
A node starts syncing and checks that the first block matches the genesis block for the network it joined.
A token used in a protocol or organization's decision-making system.
Governance tokens can provide voting power or a route to delegation, depending on the rules. Proposal thresholds and execution permissions determine what holders can actually change. The token's decision-making role is separate from company ownership or a claim on revenue; those rights do not arise from the governance label alone.
IN THE WILD
You delegate your voting power, and your delegate votes on a proposed protocol parameter change under its governance rules.
A unit equal to one billion wei, commonly used to quote Ethereumgas prices.
Gwei keeps gas-price numbers readable: nobody wants to compare a row of nine extra zeros in their wallet. A price in gwei tells you the cost per unit of gas, not the full transaction fee. To understand the total, you also need how much gas the transaction uses.
IN THE WILD
“Gas is 2 gwei” means a price of 2,000,000,000 wei per gas unit, not a total transaction fee of 2 gwei.
A rule change that can make blocks valid under the new rules but invalid under the old ones.
A hard fork needs coordination because older software may reject what updated participants accept. It can be a planned network upgrade, and it doesn't inevitably create two lasting currencies. A persistent split can happen when groups continue supporting incompatible rules, which is why announcements often explain who needs to update and when.
IN THE WILD
Node operators install an announced upgrade before activation so their software accepts blocks produced under the new rules.
A dedicated device designed to generate, protect and use signing keys without exposing them to a general-purpose computer.
The app prepares a request, while the hardware device holds the keys and signs it. Its screen gives you another place to check the authorization. That separation is useful, but approving a malicious request or exposing recovery material can still bypass the protection the device provides.
IN THE WILD
"The app shows one destination, so I check that the hardware wallet displays the same address before signing."
The number of hash calculations performed per second by mining equipment or a mining network.
A machine's hashrate describes how quickly it can try candidate hashes. A whole network's hashrate is an estimate based on observed blocks and difficulty, not a live count of every machine. More hash attempts improve a miner's chances, but don't promise when its next block will arrive.
IN THE WILD
Two miners compare hardware in terahashes per second. A network dashboard estimates the combined hashrate rather than reading every device directly.
A hierarchical deterministic wallet that derives a tree of keys from shared seed material.
An HD wallet can create many receiving addresses without needing a separate backup for each new key. Its tree organizes accounts and addresses through derivation paths. Restoring software also needs compatible paths and address conventions; an empty-looking screen can mean it is looking in the wrong place.
IN THE WILD
"New receiving address again? Yes. My HD wallet derives it from the same backed-up seed material."
A collateralized position’s safety metric; in Aave, liquidation-adjusted collateral value divided by debt value.
Aave's health factor uses collateral values and their liquidation thresholds to compare the position's support with its debt. Below 1, the position is eligible for liquidation. It's a moving number, not a badge earned forever: price changes or growing debt can worsen it even when you haven't clicked another button.
IN THE WILD
Your Aave health factor falls as collateral prices drop, so you review the debt and collateral before it crosses the liquidation boundary.
A wallet whose signing capability is available on an internet-connected system.
A hot wallet is convenient for everyday transactions because its signer is readily available. That convenience puts the signing environment closer to online threats. The label describes how keys and signing are handled, rather than simply whether the wallet runs on a phone or has a familiar brand.
IN THE WILD
Your connected phone can sign the payment right now, which is convenient and also puts the signer in an online environment.
The daily pick rotates automatically. Our initial collection was published on October 9, 2026. New words join on their publication date. Every concept includes a reference.