-z

suffix

Used as a substitute for -s in marking the plural of nouns. Usually used in words in which the -s suffix is actually pronounced /z/.

“Barry + -z → Baz”

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Meanings

-z1

suffix
  1. InternetLeethumorousslangurbanismUsed as a substitute for -s in marking the plural of nouns. Usually used in words in which the -s suffix is actually pronounced /z/.

    He lovez me and I love my warez.

    1 more example

    Boyz are always trouble, while girlz just play with their Bratz dolls.

-z2

suffix
  1. AustraliaNew ZealandUKForms nicknames, especially of personal names.

    Barry + -z → Baz

    2 more examples

    Sharon + -z → Shaz

    Jeremy + -z → Jez

  2. UKForms colloquial variants of words.

    sorry + -z → soz

    2 more examples

    tomorrow + -z → tomoz

    apparently + -z → appaz

Origin

-z · suffix

An eye dialect spelling variant of -s.

Full word history & related roots →

-z · suffix

From a mutation (specifically a zetacism) of the rhotic consonant /ɹ/ to /z/. While standalone suffixation (such as soz and Baz) gained wide recognition in British print during the 1980s, the underlying morphophonological shift is attested significantly earlier in Australian English via the derived non‐rhotic suffix -zza (such as Bazza for Barry), which has been in print since at least the 1960s.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

-z. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-z

MLA

“-z.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-z. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-z,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-z.

Source: -z on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.