Academy

Glossary

The glossary is the fastest path from confusion to action inside analytics, token pages, route details, approvals, and swap surfaces.

How to use glossary
Use it when a UI term blocks a decision in the moment.
Jump deeper into topics and tracks when one definition is not enough.
Treat glossary pages as bridges from product language to actual mental models.
Short-form clarity
Definitions should be fast enough for an in-flow decision, but strong enough to anchor the concept correctly.
Connected learning
Each term should connect into deeper Academy paths, not end in an isolated definition page.
Product outcome
Users should move from "I saw this term" to "I know what action it should change."
Glossary term

Slippage

The gap between the trade you thought you were making and the one the market actually gave you by the time execution finished.

This matters when a route still looks good on top-line output but can degrade before the trade actually lands.
Where it shows up
volatile route during quote refresh -> large order into shallow liquidity
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Glossary term

Price impact

How much your own order worsens the route because available liquidity is not deep enough to absorb it cleanly.

This matters when your own order size is becoming part of the problem and the route worsens because of you.
Where it shows up
large trade against small pool -> route worsens as size increases
Explore term
Glossary term

AMM

A pool-based pricing system that decides your swap outcome without a traditional order book, and often hides more mechanics than beginners expect.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
constant product pools -> stable pools
Explore term
Glossary term

Bridge

Infrastructure that moves value or messages across chains and quietly adds another layer of time, trust, and failure modes to the route.

This matters when a route stops being just a swap and starts adding another time, trust, and recovery layer.
Where it shows up
lock and mint model -> messaging bridge
Explore term
Glossary term

Token approval

A permission that lets a contract spend your tokens later, which is why one normal-looking prompt can create future wallet risk.

This matters when one normal-looking wallet prompt can quietly create future spending risk.
Where it shows up
exact approval -> unlimited approval
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Glossary term

Gas

The execution cost of getting an onchain action processed, which is why small trades and bad timing can quietly kill a route.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
network congestion before confirmation -> bridge route with extra transactions
Explore term
Glossary term

MEV

Value taken from users when transaction visibility, ordering, and timing let bots or validators turn a normal route into an extraction opportunity.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
sandwich attack on a public swap -> front-run around a visible large order
Explore term
Glossary term

Custody

Who really controls the keys, withdrawals, and final authority over your assets, even when the balance on screen still looks like yours.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
self-custody wallet -> exchange-held funds
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Glossary term

Signer risk

The risk that the human or system approving a transaction does not truly understand what authority is being granted at the final signing step.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
spoofed signing interface -> multisig signer approves the wrong payload
Explore term
Glossary term

Liquidity fragmentation

A market state where liquidity is scattered across pools, venues, or chains, making routes look available while quietly becoming less clean or less resilient.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
same pair across many DEX pools -> liquidity split across chains and fee tiers
Explore term
Glossary term

Route resilience

How well a route still holds up once size, timing, or one leg turns against you instead of staying perfect for the quote snapshot.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
route stays acceptable when size rises -> cross-chain path still reasonable after small delay
Explore term
Glossary term

Wallet safety

The set of habits that keeps your wallet from becoming the easiest place to approve a mistake you cannot undo later.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
separating hot and main wallets -> checking chain and spender before signing
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Glossary term

Approval hygiene

The habit of keeping token permissions tight, readable, and cleaned up before old convenience turns into delayed wallet risk.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
reviewing stale allowances -> revoking old unlimited approvals
Explore term
Glossary term

Settlement finality

The moment a route is actually done rather than merely started, visible, or halfway through enough progress to fool an impatient user.

Use this when a product term looks familiar on screen but the real decision behind it still feels blurry.
Where it shows up
same-chain confirmation versus bridge completion -> pending transaction versus settled route
Explore term
Glossary pages are now part of the Academy system rather than a separate reference shelf. Back to Academy
    Academy Glossary | ZeroLyx