Glossary
Short, plain-language definitions. Each term links to the page that explains it in depth or the KeepKey feature that uses it.
Address
The shareable destination for funds, derived from your public key (e.g. bc1q…, 0x…). Safe to hand out. → Keys & Addresses
BIP-39
The open standard for the 12/24-word recovery phrase. Makes your backup portable across compatible wallets. → Your Recovery Phrase
BIP-85
A standard for deterministically generating many separate child wallets from a single recovery phrase. → BIP85 Derived Seeds
Blockchain
The public, shared ledger a network’s transactions are recorded on. Your coins live here, not on your device. → What Is a Crypto Wallet?
Bootloader
The small, trusted program on the device that verifies firmware is signed by KeepKey before running it. → Security
Cold wallet / cold storage
A wallet whose keys stay offline. A hardware wallet is the common form. → What Is a Crypto Wallet?
Confirmation
A block added on top of the one containing your transaction; more confirmations mean it’s more final. → Transactions & Fees
Custodial
An arrangement where a company holds your keys for you (e.g. an exchange). The opposite of self-custody. → What Is a Crypto Wallet?
dApp
A “decentralized application” you connect a wallet to. KeepKey reaches EVM dApps via the browser extension. → Browser Extension
Derivation path
The standardized route (BIP-32/44) used to generate many keys/addresses from one recovery phrase. → Keys & Addresses
Entropy
True randomness, measured in bits. A 12-word phrase encodes 128 bits — the full security the protocol can use. What matters is that those bits were genuinely random when generated. → 12 vs 24 Words
ERC-20
The token standard for assets that live on Ethereum (e.g. USDC). Tokens, not their own chains. → Networks, Coins & Tokens
EVM
The Ethereum Virtual Machine; also the family of chains (Polygon, Base, Arbitrum…) that share Ethereum’s format. → Networks, Coins & Tokens
Fee (network fee)
What you pay the network’s miners/validators to process your transaction. Goes to the network, not to KeepKey. → Transactions & Fees
Firmware
The software that runs on the KeepKey device itself; open-source, signed, and updatable. → Firmware
Gas
Ethereum’s name for the network fee, paid in ETH and priced by the computation a transaction uses. → Transactions & Fees
Hardware wallet
A dedicated device that generates and stores keys offline and signs transactions internally. KeepKey is one. → What Is a Crypto Wallet?
Hot wallet
A wallet whose keys live on an internet-connected device (phone/browser app). Convenient, more exposed. → What Is a Crypto Wallet?
Native coin
The currency a network runs on and pays fees in (BTC for Bitcoin, ETH for Ethereum). → Networks, Coins & Tokens
Native SegWit (bech32)
The recommended Bitcoin address format, starting bc1q…. Lower fees than Legacy (1…) or Nested SegWit (3…), and accepted almost everywhere. → Bitcoin Address Types
Network / chain
A standalone blockchain with its own rules and money. You can’t send one network’s coin over another. → Networks, Coins & Tokens
Non-custodial / self-custody
You — not a company — hold the keys. The reason a KeepKey exists. “Not your keys, not your coins.” → What Is a Crypto Wallet?
Passphrase
An optional secret that creates a separate hidden wallet and is never stored on the device. → PIN & Passphrase
PIN
The code that unlocks the physical device; KeepKey’s entry grid shuffles to defeat snoopers. → PIN & Passphrase
Private key
The secret that controls funds. Generated on-device and never exposed. Whoever holds it owns the coins. → Keys & Addresses
Public key
Derived from the private key; used to produce your shareable address. Reveals nothing about the secret. → Keys & Addresses
Recovery phrase (seed phrase / mnemonic)
The 12/24 words that are your wallet. Back them up on paper; never type or photograph them. → Your Recovery Phrase
Script type (address type)
The style of lock securing your bitcoin — Legacy, SegWit, Native SegWit, or Taproot. Each derives from the same recovery phrase and shows as its own sub-account. → Bitcoin Address Types
Secure element
A tamper-resistant chip some wallets use. KeepKey deliberately omits one in favor of open, auditable hardware. → Security
Signing
Using your private key to authorize a transaction without revealing the key. On KeepKey it happens on-device. → Transactions & Fees
Token
An asset that lives on top of a host network (e.g. an ERC-20 on Ethereum). You pay its fees in the host’s native coin. → Networks, Coins & Tokens
Transaction
A signed instruction to move funds. Irreversible once confirmed. → Transactions & Fees
Wallet
Software/hardware that stores your keys and lets you sign transactions — it holds keys, not coins. → What Is a Crypto Wallet?