side chain
See also: sidechain
English
Alternative forms
Noun
side chain (plural side chains)
- (organic chemistry) That part of a molecule attached to some core structure; a radical.
- (biochemistry) Any of the variable parts of amino acids that extend from the peptide backbone in proteins; they are referred to as R-groups, which branch off the backbone at the alpha carbon (Cα).
- (audio) Auxiliary audio input fed to a synthesizer etc. and used to selectively trigger an effect.
- (cryptocurrencies) A separate blockchain attached to a parent blockchain (mainchain) to extend its functionalities.
- Synonym: childchain
- 2015, Nathaniel Popper, “Epilogue”, in Digital Gold, first edition, New York: Harper, →ISBN, →OCLC:
- The Blockstream developers, meanwhile, were accused of working for the interests of their company, Blockstream, rather than the good of Bitcoin as a whole. Their company, after all, proposed breaking many smaller transactions off onto so called sidechains that would occasionally link back up with the main Bitcoin blockchain, […]
- 2021, H. Kent Baker, Ehsan Nikbakht, Sean Stein Smith, The Emerald Handbook of Blockchain for Business, Emerald Group Publishing (→ISBN), page 179:
- A sidechain does not have a native token but rather creates a two-way peg or a 1:1 peg between bitcoin (tokens) and the “pegged bitcoin” on the sidechain.
Verb
side chain (third-person singular simple present side chains, present participle side chaining, simple past and past participle side chained)
- (audio) To use auxiliary audio input in that manner.