noun | kuhn·sen·suhs mek·uh·ni·zuhm
The way in which a blockchain network reaches agreement on the state of the ledger, without relying on a central authority or a game of "nose goes". It's like a high-stakes game of telephone, except instead of whispering secrets, the nodes are passing around transaction data and cryptographic hashes.
Example
"I always thought that the 'consensus' in 'consensus mechanism' meant that everyone had to agree on everything, like some kind of blockchain hippie commune. Turns out it just means that the nodes have to agree on the state of the ledger, even if they hate each other's guts and would rather see each other's coins get stuck in a permanent state of 'pending' hell."
