What | Description |
Address | A place where cryptocurrency can be sent to and from, in the form of a string of letters and numbers. A cryptocurrency address can be shared publicly in the form of text or QR code to those who want to send you cryptocurrency. |
Airdrop | This is a marketing campaign that refers to the expedited distribution of a cryptocurrency through a population of people. It usually occurs when the creator of a cryptocurrency provides its coin to low-ranked traders or existing community members in order to build their use and popularity. They are usually given away for free or in exchange for simple tasks like sharing news of the coin with friends. Airdrop is an ICO distribution method that occurs via a hard fork attempt, free of charge. Airdrops can come as a surprise or be announced beforehand. |
Algorithm | |
All Time High ATH | The highest price ever achieved by a cryptocurrency. |
All Time Low ATL | The lowest price ever achieved by a cryptocurrency. |
Altcoins | Bitcoin was the first and is the most successful of all the cryptocurrencies. All the other coins are grouped together under the category of altcoins. Ethereum, for example, is an altcoin, as is Ripple. |
AML | Acronym for “Anti-Money Laundering” |
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit | A piece of computer hardware – similar to a graphics card or a CPU – that has been designed specifically to mine cryptocurrency. They are built specifically to solve hashing problems efficiently. |
Arbitrage | There are multiple exchanges at any given time trading in the same cryptocurrency, and they can do so at different rates. Arbitrage is the act of buying from one exchange and then selling it to the next exchange if there is a margin between the two that is profitable. Arbitrage means taking advantage of a difference in price of the same commodity or instrument on two different exchanges. For instance, if a cryptocurrency is being sold for USD 10.00 at Exchange A, and being bought for USD 10.50 at Exchange B, the arbitrage opportunity would be to buy the cryptocurrency at Exchange A and then immediately sell it at Exchange B. The arbitrage profits would then be USD 0.50. |
Atomic Swap | A way of letting people directly and cost-effectively exchange one type of cryptocurrency for another, at current rates, without needing to buy or sell. |
Attestation Ledger | An attestation ledger is an account book designed to provide evidence of individual transactions. It is generally used to “attest” that a financial transaction took place, or to prove authenticity of transactions or products. |
ANN | ANN is short for announcement and most commonly refer to announcements of a new ICO or a new product or service on the forum Bitcointalk. |