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Blockchain & Crypto vocabulary · Wallets & Keys

Hardware wallet

Meaning in blockchain & crypto, with examples

nounCommon term

In blockchain & crypto, hardware wallet means: A small physical device, often similar to a USB stick, that stores private keys offline and signs transactions inside the device, so the keys never touch an internet-connected computer.

In Turkish: donanım cüzdanı, donanımsal cüzdan

How it is used

You set up, plug in and connect a hardware wallet, then confirm each transaction by pressing its buttons. Security teams advise buying one only from the official maker and checking that the package has not been opened, because tampered devices are a known scam.

Example sentences

  1. Check the address on the hardware wallet screen, not only on your computer.

  2. The treasury team signs every large transfer with two hardware wallets.

Common collocations

  • set up a hardware wallet
  • confirm on the hardware wallet
  • hardware wallet device
  • connect a hardware wallet
  • cold walletA wallet whose private keys are kept completely offline, for example on a hardware device or on paper, so that hackers cannot reach them over the internet.
  • private keyA secret number that proves you own a wallet and lets you sign transactions. Anyone who has the private key can move the funds, so it must never be shared.
  • seed phraseA list of usually 12 or 24 ordinary words that can rebuild a wallet and all its private keys. It is the master backup of a wallet, so whoever has it controls the funds.
  • self-custodyKeeping your crypto in a wallet where you alone hold the private keys or seed phrase, instead of leaving it with an exchange or another company.
  • multisigShort for multi-signature: a wallet setup that needs approval from several private keys, such as 2 of 3 or 3 of 5, before a transaction can be sent.

More terms: Wallets & Keys

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