Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the language a computer uses to access the internet. It consists of a suite of protocols designed to establish a network of networks to provide a host with access to the internet.
TCP/IP is responsible for full-fledged data connectivity and transmitting the data end to end by providing other functions, including addressing, mapping and acknowledgment. TCP/IP contains four layers, which differ slightly from the OSI model.
The technology is so common that one would rarely use the full name. In other words, in common usage the acronym is now the term itself.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)