Crypto Wiki
Glossary of terms in plain language: what DeFi is, how PoS works, how a smart contract differs from a token — no fluff.
Terms
51
Letters in index
19
Language
Russian
A4
Airdrop
A free distribution of tokens to users — for marketing or to reward early participants.
APY
Annual yield that accounts for compound interest (reinvestment).
ATH (all-time high)
All-Time High — the highest price of an asset in its entire history.
Altcoin
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin (alternative coin).
C2
D3
DAO
A decentralized autonomous organization governed by token holders through voting.
DeFi (decentralized finance)
Financial services (swaps, loans, interest) built on smart contracts that work without banks or intermediaries.
DEX (decentralized exchange)
An exchange with no intermediary: trades happen directly through smart contracts from your wallet (Uniswap, PancakeSwap).
F3
FOMO
Fear Of Missing Out — the fear of missing a gain, pushing people to buy on the way up without analysis.
FUD
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt — stoking fear and doubt, often to manipulate the market.
Fork
A split of a blockchain into two versions due to a change in network rules. It can be soft or hard.
H3
L4
Layer 2 (L2)
A layer built on top of the main blockchain to make transactions faster and cheaper (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base).
Leverage
Borrowed funds used to increase position size: 10× leverage multiplies both profit and loss.
Liquidation
The forced closing of a leveraged position when the loss eats up the collateral (margin).
Liquidity
The ability to buy or sell an asset quickly and without significantly affecting its price.
N2
P5
P2P trading
Direct exchange of cryptocurrency between users, where the exchange acts as a guarantor of the deal (escrow).
Proof-of-Stake (PoS)
A consensus algorithm where the right to confirm blocks depends on the amount of staked coins rather than on computation.
Proof-of-Work (PoW)
A consensus algorithm where blocks are confirmed through computational work (mining).
Private key
A secret key that gives full control over the funds in a wallet. It is never shared with anyone.
Public key
An open key from which an address for receiving funds is derived.
T2
W3
B3
Bitcoin (BTC)
The first and most well-known cryptocurrency, launched in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto. Its supply is capped at 21 million coins.
Blockchain
A distributed database of sequential blocks, secured by cryptography and stored across many independent nodes.
Bridge
A service for transferring tokens between different blockchains.
V2
M4
Mining
The process of confirming transactions and issuing new coins using computing power (Proof-of-Work).
Memecoin
A cryptocurrency created on the wave of an internet meme or hype, with no fundamental value (DOGE, SHIB, PEPE).
Multisig
A wallet that requires several signatures to carry out a transaction (for example, 2 of 3).
Market capitalization
The total value of all coins in circulation: price × circulating supply.
S6
Seed phrase
A set of 12–24 words for restoring access to a wallet. The main secret — never show it to anyone.
Smart contract
A program on the blockchain that automatically executes the terms of a deal without intermediaries.
Spread
The difference between the best sell price and the best buy price in the order book.
Stablecoin
A cryptocurrency pegged to a stable asset (usually the dollar): USDT, USDC, DAI.
Staking
Locking up coins in a Proof-of-Stake network to support its operation and earn a reward.
Stop-loss
An order that automatically closes a position when a set price is reached, to limit the loss.