ExpressVPN's all encompassing, jargon-busting Bitcoin glossary

Much like the internet, the Bitcoin network introduced a vast array of new words to explain its unique functionality. This specialized vocabulary can make it difficult to follow discussions around the topic, and might even be a barrier to understanding the system.

The core functionalities of Bitcoin, for example, are impossible to explain without its consensus mechanism called proof-of-work (or Nakamoto Consensus, in honor of its pseudonymous creator).

View the Bitcoin Glossary

Proof-of-work, however, consists of many small mechanisms with their own definitions. Some have been in use for longer outside of Bitcoin, such as hashes and nodes. Others, like Merkle trees or ECDSA, are not as widely in use.

The ExpressVPN Bitcoin glossary includes over 150 terms related to Bitcoin. You can use this glossary to look up terms, or it can be read by itself as a comprehensive summary of the many tiny pieces that make Bitcoin work.