---
id: dwd_gdefyuzz
type: term
slug: business-term
title: "Business term"
summary: "A word or phrase the business uses, with one agreed definition. It describes meaning, not data."
status: draft
classification: public
authors:
  - name: Shan Umasankar
    url: https://dealwithdata.com
    role: author
assisted_by: [Claude]
scales: [personal, business, enterprise]
broader: [dwd_6azimhas]
related: [dwd_2p63wxfx]
created: 2026-10-07
updated: 2026-10-07
version: 1
---
A business term lives in the [[business-glossary]] and answers *what does this word mean?* It has a definition, synonyms and an owner, but no data type and no physical location. One term is usually realized by several [[business-element]]s.

**Example:** *Outstanding Balance*: the unpaid principal owed as of a date.

**Not to be confused with** a [[business-element]], which is a governed piece of data that carries the term's meaning in one context.