# blockchain

Pronunciation: say "BLOK-chayn" US /ˈblɑkˌtʃeɪn/, UK /ˈblɒkˌtʃeɪn/

## Noun

1. A shared record of past transactions maintained across a distributed network of computers, most often used for cryptocurrency.
   - Simple: A shared computer record of past payments, kept and checked by many computers at once.
   - _Each transaction is verified by the network before it is added to the blockchain._
   - _Some retailers now use blockchains to track shipments from the factory to the store shelf._

## Origin

Formed from block + chain, from the earlier two-word form 'block chain'. In the 2008 Bitcoin paper, 'block' and 'chain' appear separately, and the idea was described as a 'chain of hash-based proof-of-work' or a 'chain of digital signatures'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/blockchain (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).