A cryptographic proof that a claimed computation or state transition follows specified rules.
A validity proof lets a verifier check a result without repeating all of the underlying work. What it establishes comes from the circuit or other specification being proved. Correct verification can establish execution integrity, but does not by itself show that users can retrieve all the data behind the result.
IN THE WILD
The proof links the rollup's previous state, batch and proposed new state according to the execution rules the verifier checks.
Validium separates two questions: did execution follow the rules, and can users obtain the data? A base-chain verifier can check the first while offchain providers handle the second. If those providers withhold needed data, users may be unable to reconstruct state or prepare withdrawals even though the execution proof checks out.
IN THE WILD
"The execution proof checks out, but the data committee is withholding the data I need to prepare a withdrawal."
The extent to which an asset's price or returns vary over a specified period.
Volatility describes movement, not its direction. A market with frequent large swings can have high measured volatility even if it eventually returns near its starting price. The chosen period and calculation method affect the number, and past swings do not specify the next move.
IN THE WILD
"Green, red, green again. My chart has had a very busy week." Those large swings produce high observed volatility for that period.
Your coins are recorded on the blockchain, not tucked inside the wallet app. The wallet helps you see balances and use the keys or account rules controlling them. Changing apps can leave the same assets accessible, provided the new setup supports the correct account and recovery method.
IN THE WILD
"I changed wallet apps, but my assets stayed at the same blockchainaddress."
A wallet that monitors addresses or public derivation data without holding their spending keys.
A watch-only setup can display a balance and help prepare a payment, but cannot finish signing by itself. A separate signer handles authorization. It is useful for monitoring funds with offline keys, although public information given to a monitoring service can expose links between addresses.
IN THE WILD
"The balance is right there on my laptop, but signing still happens on the separate offline device."
A broad label for internet applications using blockchains for functions such as ownership, payments or coordination.
Web3 describes a design direction rather than one technical standard. A website may use wallet-based transactions and onchain ownership while relying on familiar hosting or centrally run data services. Understanding the actual components is more useful than assuming every part becomes decentralized because the app uses the Web3 label.
IN THE WILD
You connect a wallet and interact with the onchain app, while its web interface still arrives from conventional hosting.
The smallest whole unit of ether: one ETH equals 10¹⁸ wei.
Contracts and node APIs usually work with whole-number amounts, not the decimal ETH figure your wallet displays. Wei makes that possible without rounding tiny amounts away. A surprisingly huge number in a transaction request might simply be an ETH amount written in wei, rather than an enormous payment.
IN THE WILD
A wallet displays 0.01 ETH while the transaction request records 10,000,000,000,000,000 wei.
Wrapped ether: an ERC-20token representation of ETH created by a wrapping contract.
ETH is Ethereum's native currency, while many DeFi contracts expect the ERC-20 interface. WETH provides that interface. A conventional WETH contract receives ETH when creating WETH and returns it when unwrapping. The contract address and network identify the actual token, even when names look familiar.
IN THE WILD
"The pool wants WETH, but my balance is ETH. Wrapping gives it the ERC-20 interface the pool expects."
A token that represents another asset through a wrapping or bridging arrangement.
Wrapping lets an asset fit into an environment where its original form cannot be used directly. Creating and redeeming the representation might involve a contract, custodian or bridge. Two wrapped tokens with similar names can therefore have very different backing and security assumptions.
IN THE WILD
"The bridge gave me a wrapped token on the destination chain; the original asset is locked on the source chain."
Using crypto positions or protocols to seek returns from interest, fees or incentives.
Yield farming can mean supplying liquidity, lending assets or moving between reward programs. The displayed percentage is only a starting point: rewards may change, token prices can move and the position may carry costs or losses. Understand where the return comes from and what happens to the deposited assets before comparing headline numbers.
IN THE WILD
A farm advertises token rewards, so you compare their changing value and the underlying LP position rather than looking only at the displayed APR.
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.