blockchain

[ blok-cheyn ]

noun

, Computers.

1. a structure used for a distributed or shared database consisting of discrete blocks of data, with each new block secured and connected to earlier ones by cryptography: used to create digital ledgers for cryptocurrency systems, among other things:

   Several schools now offer courses in the technology behind blockchain.

   Under the scheme, farmers would add information about their produce to a blockchain database that could quickly pinpoint contamination.

2. a distributed or shared database created and populated using a structure consisting of discrete blocks of data, with each new block secured and connected to earlier ones by cryptography:

   Once the transaction gets verified, it's recorded in the blockchain.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blockchain¹

First recorded in 2010–15; block ( def ) + chain ( def )

Example Sentences

These names and their associated scandals have dominated crypto news and buried cryptocurrency and blockchain's potential for revolutionary humanitarian impact.

From Salon

“We also have down ballot races, where you have a lot of candidates running for Congress, even running statewide, that have included cryptocurrency and blockchain in their campaign platforms.”

From Salon

Web3 is a decentralized internet based around blockchains, the public ledgers that are used to log every cryptocurrency transaction.

From Los Angeles Times

According to a World Liberty Financial white paper viewed by Coinbase, Herro was formerly associated with Dough Finance, a blockchain app that lost more than $2 million to hackers in July.

From Los Angeles Times

Harris on Wednesday vowed to invest in the industry so that the United States would "remain dominant" in the blockchain space.

From Salon