Cryptocurrency Glossary

Explore key cryptocurrency, tax and investing terms and definitions

DYOR

DYOR means "Do Your Own Research" — a key rule in crypto that encourages investors to verify information and assess risks before investing. It's your best defense against hype and scams.

Elon Musk crypto

"Elon Musk crypto" refers to the billionaire's influence on cryptocurrency markets, especially coins like Dogecoin. His tweets and public comments can spark massive — but often short-lived — price moves.

ERC-1155

ERC-1155 is a versatile Ethereum token standard that supports fungible, non-fungible, and semi-fungible tokens within a single smart contract. Known for its efficiency and flexibility, ERC-1155 powers gaming, DeFi, and NFT applications by enabling batch transactions and scalable token management.

ERC-20

ERC-20 is a technical standard for creating fungible tokens on Ethereum. It ensures compatibility with wallets and dApps, powering use cases like DeFi, stablecoins, and governance tokens. Its standardization has made it essential for the Ethereum ecosystem.

ERC-721

ERC-721 is a token standard for creating unique, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Ethereum. Known for its use in digital art, collectibles, and gaming assets, ERC-721 provides a transparent, decentralized way to manage ownership and provenance of unique items.

ETH/BTC

ETH/BTC is the trading pair that measures the price of Ethereum (ETH) in Bitcoin (BTC). Traders use it to track Ethereum's strength relative to Bitcoin, predict altcoin trends, and hedge against volatility.

Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)

The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is the decentralized computing engine that powers Ethereum

Etherscan

Etherscan is a blockchain explorer for Ethereum, enabling users to track transactions, wallet balances, tokens, and smart contracts. It

False breakout in trading

A false breakout occurs when the price moves beyond a key level but quickly reverses, trapping traders. Learn how to spot fakeouts and avoid costly mistakes.

Fiat in crypto

In crypto, "fiat" refers to government-issued currency — like the US dollar, euro, or yen — that isn't backed by a physical commodity but by the trust and authority of the issuing government. Fiat is often the entry and exit point for buying or selling crypto.

FIFO

FIFO (First In, First Out) is a cost basis accounting method where the earliest purchased assets are sold first. In crypto trading and taxation, FIFO affects capital gains calculations, often leading to higher taxes in bull markets.

Fork

A fork in blockchain occurs when the protocol undergoes changes, leading to a split in the network. Forks can be soft (backward-compatible) or hard (creating a new chain), often resulting from upgrades, bug fixes, or community disagreements.

FUD

FUD stands for fear, uncertainty, and doubt — often used to describe negative sentiment that shakes investor confidence and drives panic selling in crypto.

Fully Diluted Value

Fully Diluted Value (FDV) is a crypto metric that estimates a project's total market cap if all tokens were in circulation. FDV helps investors assess potential valuation and inflation risks from future token unlocks.

Fundamental analysis

Fundamental analysis evaluates an asset's intrinsic value by examining financials, utility, competitive position, and macro factors. In crypto, it looks at on-chain metrics, token economics, team, roadmap, and adoption to judge long-term value.