(Note: This article shouldn’t be taken as financial, investment, or tax advice)

Crypto Glossary
The world of crypto has its own specialised vocabulary. Here’s a cheat sheet to get you started. 

– Altcoin
Altcoins are cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin (BTCUSD). They share characteristics with Bitcoin but are also different in other ways. For example, some altcoins use a different consensus mechanism to produce blocks or validate transactions. Or they distinguish themselves from Bitcoin by providing new or additional capabilities, such as smart contracts or low price volatility.

– Crypto/cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. A defining feature of cryptocurrencies is that they are generally not issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation.

– Decentralised/Decentralized
In a decentralized market, technology enables investors to deal directly with each other instead of operating from within a centralized exchange. Virtual markets that use decentralized currency, or cryptocurrencies, are examples of decentralized markets.

– Fork/Hard Fork
Forks may be initiated by developers or members of a crypto community who grow dissatisfied with functionalities offered by existing blockchain implementations. They may also emerge as a way to crowdsource funding for new technology projects or cryptocurrency offerings.

– Halving

– Hodl

 Mining

– Volatility

– Whale

– When Lambo

Source: investopedia