Glossary

Key terms and definitions used throughout the Lithosphere documentation.

Term	Definition
BFT	Byzantine Fault-Tolerant. A consensus algorithm that guarantees safety for up to a third of Byzantine (malicious) actors.
Blockchain	A growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked together using cryptography.
BSC	Binance Smart Chain.
Burn	A process by which digital currency miners and developers can remove tokens or coins from circulation.
CometBFT	The consensus engine (formerly Tendermint Core) used by Cosmos SDK-based chains including Lithosphere.
Cosmovisor	A process manager for Cosmos SDK-based blockchains that handles binary upgrades with minimal downtime.
Cross Chain	The interoperability between two relatively independent blockchains.
DApps	Decentralized Applications -- digital applications that run on a blockchain or peer-to-peer network of computers instead of a single computer.
DeFi	Decentralized Finance -- financial applications built on blockchain technology without centralized intermediaries.
DEX	Decentralized Exchange.
DKG	Distributed Key Generation -- a cryptographic protocol where multiple parties jointly generate a key pair without any single party learning the full private key.
DNN	Deep Neural Network -- used in Lithosphere to make smart contracts intelligent.
ECDSA	Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm -- the signature algorithm used by Bitcoin, Ethereum, and supported by MDKM.
ERC	Ethereum Request for Comments -- a standard for token contracts on Ethereum.
EVM	Ethereum Virtual Machine -- a computation engine that acts like a decentralized computer. Lithosphere is EVM-compatible.
Interoperability	The ability of computer systems or software to exchange and make use of information.
LAX	Lithosphere Algorithmic Cryptocurrency -- an algorithmic stablecoin in the Lithosphere ecosystem.
LEP100	Lithosphere Evolution Proposal 100 -- the multi-chain token standard for the Lithosphere network.
LinBFT	Linear-communication BFT Protocol -- Lithosphere's consensus algorithm proposed by Dr. David Yang.
LITHO	The native token of the Lithosphere network, used for transaction fees, staking, and governance.
LithoSwap	Lithosphere's cross-chain decentralized exchange with NFT exchange support.
LithoVM	Lithosphere's EVM-compatible virtual machine runtime.
Lock-in	The process of establishing distributed control over a digital asset from another blockchain via MDKM.
Lock-out	The reversal of Lock-in, returning control of a digital asset to its owner.
MDKM	Myriad Distributed Key Management -- Lithosphere's system for distributed control and management of accounts and assets across blockchains.
NFT	Non-Fungible Token -- a unit of data stored on a blockchain that certifies a unique digital asset.
Pegged Coins	LEP100 tokens pegged to external assets (e.g., BTCL is BTC pegged to LEP100).
PoS	Proof of Stake -- a consensus mechanism where validators stake tokens to participate in block production.
Ring Signature	A cryptographic signature scheme that provides anonymity by combining the transaction sender with a group of decoy signers.
Threshold Signature	A signature scheme requiring a minimum number (k) of participants out of a total (n) to produce a valid signature.
Time Slicing	A LEP100 feature that adds start and end time attributes to tokens, enabling time-limited token utility.
Token	A set of rules encoded in smart contracts. Each token belongs to a blockchain address and represents a digital asset stored on the blockchain.
Traction	Drawing or pulling rate in a business context.
Usufruct	The right to use and derive benefit from a digital asset without holding ownership, enabled by Lithosphere smart contracts.
Validator	A node with positive voting power that participates in the consensus protocol by broadcasting cryptographic signatures to agree upon the next block.
VSS	Variable (Verifiable) Secret Sharing -- a cryptographic technique used in MDKM for distributing private key shares.
White Paper	A guide about a specific topic and the problems that surround it, meant to educate readers.