block

Phonetic: /blɑk/

Part of Speech: noun

Category: To be determined

A discrete, unique set of transactions sent on a public distributed ledger network, immutably recorded in a certain order.

Definition source: Consensys Software Inc., Blockchain Glossary for Beginners

Sample sentence

N/A

Additional definitions

A computer file that stores transaction data. These can then be arranged in a linear sequence, which will form a blockchain.

Source

A contiguous set of entries on the ledger covered by a vote. A leader produces at most one block per slot.

Source

Extended definition

Imagine a ledger that is being constantly synced between any number of exact copies of itself. People keep sending requests to add new entries to the ledger; these requests are transactions. When there are enough transactions ready, they get put into a specific order, and the *nodes*, each of which is keeping a copy of that ledger, reach consensus that the transactions are valid. Then, the transactions are cryptographically locked, in that order, into a 'block' and added forever to the ledger. This 'block' forms the starting point for the next one; in this way, they are all linked together in a chain, hence–blockchain.

This word came from... the ether

Date first recorded: 2025-01-31

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