noun | kuhn·sen·suhs al·guh·ri·dhuhm
A way for a bunch of computers to agree on something without getting into a flame war or a dick-measuring contest. It's like a digital version of rock-paper-scissors, except instead of choosing between three hand gestures, the computers are choosing between different versions of the truth.
Example
"Consensus algorithms are like the UN of the blockchain world - a bunch of different parties coming together to make decisions that nobody is really happy with, but everyone has to go along with anyway because that's just how things work around here."
"I heard that the best way to reach consensus is to lock everyone in a room and force them to listen to Nickelback on repeat until they all agree on something. It's like torture, but for nerds!" 