Etymology

blockchain

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Today it means: A shared record of past transactions in a distributed network, typically used for cryptocurrency. Full definition →

First used 2010s
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The story

From block + chain, from earlier “block chain”. In the 2008 Bitcoin paper block and chain are used separately; the concept is referred to as “chain of hash-based proof-of-work” or “chain of digital signatures”.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 2010s A shared record of past transactions in a distributed network, typically used for cryptocurrency.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.