The most comprehensive crypto glossary for Beginner level
The most comprehensive crypto glossary out there.

Compute
Costs associated with executing scripts or smart contracts.
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Level: Beginner
Colocation
A common facility where multiple individuals and companies can store their IT equipment and specialized hardware. Colocation refers to a dedicated space inside a stock exchange's data center for high-frequency trading (HFT).
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Level: Beginner
Collateral
A borrower’s pledge to the lender that is used to secure the repayment of a loan. If a borrower takes out a loan, they may put their car up as collateral. In the event of a default, the vehicle serves as a safeguard or warranty.
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Level: Beginner
Cold storage
Wallets that are not connected to the internet, such as hardware non-custodial wallets, USBs, or paper wallets.
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Level: Beginner
Cold wallet
Cryptocurrency wallets that are disconnected from the internet or other unsecure networks when they are not in use. A hot wallet is a software wallet stored on the desktop of a user, which can be accessed through a web interface or accessed from a service provider's servers, but with an additional layer of security.
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Level: Beginner
Coin
Digital money or cryptocurrency that is independent of any blockchain or platform. Coins serve as currencies, and the term can also be used to describe cryptocurrency assets that aren't tokens.
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Level: Beginner
Cloud
Resources made available via the internet to multiple users. The resources include data storage, computing power, and different types of services, applications, networks, and servers.
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Level: Beginner
Circulating supply
Coins or tokens on the market that are publicly available and circulating. Cryptocurrencies can have an increasing or decreasing supply over time. According to the Bitcoin protocol, the maximum number of bitcoins will be 21 million before the circulating supply increases.
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Level: Beginner
CPU (central processing unit)
A computer's electronic circuitry that interprets instructions from programs and executes basic operations according to those instructions. Calculations, logical operations, controlling operations, and input/output operations (I/O) are the basic operations.
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Level: Beginner
CPI (Consumer Price Index)
Number of assets whose price is tracked to gain insights into market segments. An index is an indicator of the performance of a stock, such as the S&P 500, the NASDAQ Composite, or the DJIA.
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Level: Beginner
Colored coins
Before the rise of stablecoins, colored coins were designed to improve the functionality of the Bitcoin blockchain. Colored coins were tokens representing real world assets like house deeds, stocks, precious metals, and intellectual property on the blockchain.
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Level: Beginner
Wearable technology
A category of electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, implanted in the user's body, or even tattooed on the skin. The devices are hands-free gadgets with practical uses, powered by microprocessors and enhanced with the ability to send and receive data via the internet. In crypto, hardware wallets can often be in different forms and shapes.
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Level: Beginner
CEX (centralized exchange)
A platform where trades are conducted and overseen by a middleman who handles the assets. In a centralized exchange, you can exchange one coin for another without the transfer taking place directly between you and the other party. A CEX handles the trade for you.
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Level: Beginner
Web wallet
A type of cryptocurrency wallet that is accessible via a web browser. Many web wallets are custodial services run by cryptocurrency exchanges.
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Level: Beginner
Centralized
The top-down delegation of authority and power within an organization or a network. As a result of centralization, a system's planning and decision-making mechanisms are concentrated in a single area. Centralized organizations are operated by a single person or group of people.
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Level: Beginner