BIZ

Biz is a colloquial shortening of business, used as a noun and adjective to refer to commercial activity, a company or industry, or the professional world generally.

Etymology and usage: The term derives from English slang, dating to the early 20th century, and remains common in American English. In informal speech and writing, people say "the biz" to mean the business world, or "in the biz" to refer to work within a particular industry such as music or film.

In popular culture, "the biz" often signals insider language tied to entertainment and creative industries; "showbiz" is a related term for show business.

Notable usage: The stage name of rapper and broadcaster Biz Markie (1964–2021) uses the shortened form.

Other uses: The .biz top-level domain, introduced in 2001 for commercial websites.