Convex & Curve glossary: 25 terms explained simply
CG
Written by Convex Guide Editorial Team
· Fact-checked · 6 min read
Glossary of Convex Finance and Curve terms: veCRV, cvxCRV, vlCVX, gauge, boost, epoch, bribe, vAPR, LP token, harvest and more.
Tokens
- CRV — Curve's reward and governance token.
- veCRV — CRV vote-escrowed for up to 4 years.
- CVX — Convex's governance and reward token.
- cvxCRV — liquid token backed by veCRV locked forever by Convex.
- vlCVX — CVX vote-locked for 16+ weeks.
- crvUSD — Curve's stablecoin.
- LP token — receipt for liquidity in a pool.
Mechanics
- Gauge — contract that distributes CRV to a pool.
- Gauge weight — share of CRV emissions a pool receives.
- Boost — reward multiplier up to 2.5× from veCRV.
- Epoch — one-week period used by vlCVX.
- Cliff — step where CVX minting per CRV decreases.
- Harvest — claiming and distributing protocol rewards.
- Kick — withdrawing someone's expired vlCVX lock for a reward.
Yields
- APR — yearly return without compounding.
- APY — yearly return with compounding.
- vAPR — Convex's variable APR shown per pool.
- Base APY — from trading fees.
- Reward APY — from token incentives.
Governance
- Vote incentive / bribe — payment to voters for supporting a gauge.
- Votium — vote incentive marketplace for vlCVX.
- Delegation — letting another address vote for you.
- Curve Wars — competition for control over CRV emissions.
- Meta-governance — controlling a protocol's votes through another token.
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