Remember the proverbial road that splits at a certain point of the journey forcing travelers to choose which path to take? The same happens during a fork.
A fork is a technical event when the blockchain diverges into two different directions and requires users to choose which way to go. It results from a change in the software or algorithms being followed by the blockchain. This usually occurs when the blockchain software is updated, but it can also be triggered by an attack. Most forks are resolved without causing rifts, but some do cause a split resulting in two cryptocurrencies.
Other interesting terms…
