Glossary
Derivation Path
The address-tree coordinate (e.g. `m/44'/60'/0'/0/0`) that picks one specific key out of an HD wallet's deterministic tree of millions.
BIP-32 turns a single seed into an unbounded tree of keys. A derivation path is the route from the root ("m") to a specific leaf. The slashes are tree levels; an apostrophe means "hardened" (only derivable with the parent private key).
BIP-44 standardizes a convention: m / purpose' / coin_type' / account' / change / address_index. The Ethereum path
m/44'/60'/0'/0/0 is the first address on the first account on
the Ethereum coin. Mistakes in the path are how people "lose"
funds that are actually safely sitting at a different leaf.