smart contract

English

Etymology

Coined by American computer scientist Nick Szabo in 1996.

Noun

smart contract (plural smart contracts)

1. (technology, cryptocurrencies) A software protocol that is capable of automatically enforcing terms agreed upon in a contract.
   • 2019, Kevin Solorio, Randall Kanna, David H. Hoover, Hands-On Smart Contract Development with Solidity and Ethereum, O'Reilly Media, →ISBN, page 240:

     These are only a few examples of ways you can secure your smart contracts. The best thing to do to create a secure smart contract is to find an external auditor.

   • 2020, Miadreza Shafie-khah, Blockchain-Based Smart Grids, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 112:

     Technically speaking a smart contract is a self-enforcing agreement between parties, mutually unknown and otherwise anonymous counterparts, which is capable of executing the rules automatically in satisfying certain conditions.

Translations

software protocol

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 智能合約／智能合约 (zhìnéng héyuē)

• Finnish: älysopimus
• French: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• smart contract on Wikipedia.Wikipedia