side chain

noun, verb — 6 senses

side chain

noun
1

Chemistry, Natural sciences, Organic chemistry, Physical sciences That part of a molecule attached to some core structure; a radical.

2

Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Natural sciences, Physical sciences 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).

3

Audio, Electrical engineering, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Auxiliary audio input fed to a synthesizer etc. and used to selectively trigger an effect.

4

Business, Cryptocurrencies, Cryptocurrency, Finance A separate blockchain attached to a parent blockchain (mainchain) to extend its functionalities.

  • 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, […]2015, Nathaniel Popper, “Epilogue”, in Digital Gold, 1st edition, New York: Harper, →ISBN, →OCLC:
  • 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.2021, H. Kent Baker, Ehsan Nikbakht, Sean Stein Smith, The Emerald Handbook of Blockchain for Business, Emerald Group Publishing, →ISBN, page 179:
5

Rail transport, Railways, Transport On some railways, a chain fitted on both sides of a centre coupler or buffer at each end of a rail vehicle, which has a hook for connection to a corresponding chain on the next vehicle in a train.

  • When the screw coupling replaced the old chain couplings on passenger stock, the latter were retained and still coupled up to prevent severance of a train in the event of a screw coupling breaking. The contingency is so remote, however, that the side chains have been abolished.1946 May and June, “The Why and The Wherefore: Miscellanea”, in Railway Magazine, pages 197–198:

side chain

verb
1

Audio, Electrical engineering, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences To use auxiliary audio input in that manner.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.