Multisig and smart accounts: key words

Short for multi-signature. On Ethereum, a smart contract account that needs a set number of valid signatures, out of a group of keys, before it acts. Source

The least number of owners who must confirm a transaction before a multisig such as a Safe will carry it out. Source

An account controlled by smart contract code rather than by one private key. Its code decides who can move funds, and how. Source

An add-on contract that gives a Safe extra features, such as a daily spending allowance. It can skip the signature check, so a bad one can take over a Safe. Source

A call that runs another contract's code as if it were the calling contract's own. Safe's help centre calls it dangerous in an ordinary transaction. Source

A way for several parties to work out a result together without showing each other their secret inputs, such as shares of a key. Source

One ordinary-looking signature made by enough holders of a shared key. It is checked against a single public key. Source

Letting each account set its own rules for checking transactions, written as smart contract code. Source

Under ERC-4337, a node that collects UserOperations and packs them into one real transaction. Source

Under ERC-4337, a helper contract that agrees to pay a transaction's fee instead of the user. Source

A 2025 change that lets an ordinary account point to smart contract code. The account's private key still keeps full control. Source

The security principle that no one person should have enough power to misuse a system on their own. Source