Crypto Glossary
Bitcoin
The first cryptocurrency. A digital money you can send anywhere in the world without a bank, secured by a network of computers.
Definition
Bitcoin is the first and largest cryptocurrency. Launched in January 2009 by an unknown creator using the name Satoshi Nakamoto, it lets people send value to anyone in the world without going through a bank or payment processor.
Bitcoin runs on a public ledger called a blockchain, kept in sync by tens of thousands of computers around the world. There will only ever be 21 million bitcoin, which is why people often compare it to digital gold.
Related terms
- BlockchainA shared digital record of transactions that no single person or company controls. Everyone can read it, and changes are extremely hard to fake.
- MiningUsing computers to add new transactions to a blockchain and earn newly created coins as a reward.
- HalvingAn event where the reward for mining new Bitcoin blocks is cut in half. Happens roughly every four years.
- Proof of WorkA way to secure a blockchain by making computers do a lot of calculation. Used by Bitcoin.
Source: What The Block! Dictionary v1.0 (last updated 2026-04-25).