📘 DustEthic Lexicon - Understand crypto without headaches

Token

A token is like a digital coin.
It can represent money (like USDC), a right, or even a badge.
On a blockchain, it’s something you can send, receive, or store.

USDC

A stable token: its value stays close to 1 US dollar.
Sending 5 USDC is like sending $5 digitally.
It doesn’t go up or down like Bitcoin - it’s made to stay stable.

Blockchain

Think of it as a giant public ledger.
Every transaction is recorded and can’t be erased.
It helps track donations transparently, without middlemen.

Wallet

Your digital vault.
It lets you hold, send, and receive tokens.
It has an address (like an IBAN), but it’s public.

Crypto address

A string of characters (e.g. 0x1234...abcd) that identifies your wallet.
It lets you receive funds, but it’s visible to everyone.
Anyone can see what’s been sent to it, including amounts and tokens.

Multisig wallet

A wallet that needs multiple people to approve a transaction.
Example: 2 out of 3 people must sign before funds move.
It’s safer - especially for NGOs.

Relayer

A service that submits a transaction on your behalf and may sponsor its fees.

Gas fees

The technical cost of processing a transaction on the blockchain.
Like a “processing fee” for the network’s computers.
On Polygon, it’s usually less than $0.01.

Polygon

A fast and low-cost blockchain, compatible with Ethereum.
It lets you send tokens like USDC without high fees.

MATIC

The currency used to pay gas fees on Polygon.
Even if you send USDC, fees are paid in MATIC.
But with a relayer, you can donate without holding MATIC.

Dust (crypto dust)

“Dust” means crypto dust particles - tiny amounts of cryptocurrency that are so small they’re almost unusable.
These amounts are often too small to swap, sell, or even send because the network fees would be higher than their value.
Think of it like the dust under your wallet: a few coins scattered here and there, but not enough to make a meaningful transaction.