CT
Abbreviation with 10 meanings
| Stands for | Computed tomography |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 10 |
| Categories | Medical, Geography & Places, Units & Measurements, Military, Science & Engineering, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | Ct, ct, ct. |
CT has ten meanings. The most common are Computed tomography (medical imaging) and Connecticut (US state); it can also stand for Court, Central Time, Chlamydia trachomatis, Carat and Counterterrorism, plus 3 more listed below.
Meanings of CT at a glance
| # | CT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computed tomography | Medical › Medical Imaging |
| 2 | Connecticut | Geography & Places › US State |
| 3 | Court | Geography & Places › Address |
| 4 | Central Time | Units & Measurements › Time Zone |
| 5 | Chlamydia trachomatis | Medical › Infectious Disease |
| 6 | Carat | Units & Measurements › Metric and SI Unit |
| 7 | Counterterrorism | Military › Military Term |
| 8 | Cardiothoracic (surgery) | Medical › Medical Specialty |
| 9 | Current transformer | Science & Engineering › Electronics & Electrical |
| 10 | Count | Writing & Everyday › Everyday |
1. Computed tomography
Medical · Medical Imaging Abbreviations
Imaging technique that rotates an X-ray tube around the body and uses computer reconstruction to create thin cross-sectional slices showing bone, soft tissue, blood and air in seconds. It is the first-line scan for head injury, suspected stroke, major trauma, abdominal pain, pulmonary embolism and cancer staging.
Example: CT head without contrast negative for hemorrhage; tPA discussion with neurology.
Also called a CAT scan (computed axial tomography). Godfrey Hounsfield built the first clinical scanner, used on a patient in London in 1971, and shared the 1979 Nobel Prize with Allan Cormack. Studies are ordered without, with, or with and without contrast. An abdominal and pelvic CT delivers roughly 10 mSv, about three years of natural background radiation, so scans are justified and dose-optimized. In surgical contexts CT can also mean cardiothoracic.
2. Connecticut
Geography & Places · US State Abbreviations
New England state and one of the 13 original colonies, which ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788, as the fifth state. Hartford is the capital and a longtime insurance center; the official nickname is the Constitution State, with the Nutmeg State as a popular alternative.
Example: Our insurance office in Hartford, CT is open until 6 p.m. on weekdays.
News writers following AP use Conn. The 1963 code takes the first and last letters of the name, the same pattern as KY, PA and VT. CN, a frequent wrong guess, is the ISO code for China. CT also means computed tomography in medicine and Central Time on some schedules.
3. Court (Ct)
Geography & Places · Address Abbreviations
Short residential street, typically a dead end or cul-de-sac in a suburban subdivision where houses cluster around a turnaround. In some older cities a court is a small enclosed square of row houses.
Example: The block party is at the end of Maple Ct, where the cul-de-sac is widest.
USPS writes CT, the same letters as Connecticut's postal code: after a street name it means Court, after a city name Connecticut. Ct. also abbreviates court in legal citations, as in U.S. Ct. App.
4. Central Time
Units & Measurements · Time Zone Abbreviations
Generic label for the US Central Time Zone, covering CST (UTC−6) and CDT (UTC−5). Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Winnipeg use it.
Example: The town hall airs live at 7 p.m. CT on the network's streaming app.
Networks often schedule prime time an hour earlier in the Central zone, so promos say "8/7c": a show at 8 p.m. ET airs at 7 p.m. CT. Saskatchewan stays on UTC−6 all year, and Mexico City does likewise since Mexico dropped most daylight saving in 2022. Outside time zones, CT abbreviates Connecticut and computed tomography.
5. Chlamydia trachomatis
Medical · Infectious Disease Abbreviations
Bacterium causing chlamydia, the most commonly reported bacterial STI in the US, which is often silent but can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Doxycycline for seven days is the preferred treatment.
Example: Urine NAAT positive for CT; doxycycline 100 mg BID x 7 days, retest in 3 months.
Annual screening is recommended for sexually active women under 25 and older women at increased risk. In most hospital notes CT means computed tomography, so infectious disease and sexual health records usually write "GC/CT" or "chlamydia". Other strains of the same species cause trachoma, a leading infectious cause of blindness.
6. Carat (ct)
Units & Measurements · Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations
A unit of mass for gemstones and pearls equal to exactly 200 milligrams, so a 1 ct diamond weighs 0.2 g. Carats divide into 100 points, which is why jewelers call a quarter-carat stone a 25-pointer.
Example: Platinum solitaire ring with a 1.5 ct round brilliant diamond.
The metric carat replaced inconsistent local carats in the early 20th century and was adopted in the US in 1913. The word traces through Arabic qirat to Greek keration, a carob seed once used as a balance weight. Rings with several stones list ctw or cttw, total carat weight. Gem weight (carat) differs from gold purity (karat), though British English spells both carat.
7. Counterterrorism
Military · Military Term Abbreviations
Military, intelligence and law enforcement activities to prevent, deter and respond to terrorism, including raids against terrorist leaders and networks. It covers both offensive and preventive measures at home and abroad.
Example: The CT mission in Syria relies on a small number of special operators.
Counterterrorism differs from antiterrorism, which focuses on defensive measures to reduce vulnerability. US CT operations expanded dramatically after September 11, 2001. In other contexts, CT is the postal code for Connecticut and a medical abbreviation for computed tomography.
8. Cardiothoracic (surgery)
Medical · Medical Specialty Abbreviations
Surgical specialty operating on the heart, lungs, esophagus and other organs in the chest, including coronary artery bypass, valve replacement, lung cancer resection and heart and lung transplantation. US surgeons qualify through a traditional pathway after general surgery residency or an integrated six-year program.
Example: CT surgery consulted for three-vessel disease not suitable for PCI.
Usually written "CT surgery" or "CT surg" to avoid confusion with computed tomography; some programs prefer "CTS". The field divides into adult cardiac, general thoracic and congenital heart surgery. Board certification comes from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
9. Current transformer
Science & Engineering · Electronics & Electrical Abbreviations
Transformer that produces a small, proportional secondary current from a large current in a conductor passing through its core, allowing safe measurement of high currents by meters and protective relays. Clamp-on CTs let electricians measure current without disconnecting wires.
Example: Split-core CTs on the panel's main feeders send data to the home energy monitor.
A CT is rated by its ratio, such as 200:5. The secondary of a conventional CT must never be left open-circuit while primary current flows, because dangerously high voltages can develop. In medicine CT means computed tomography.
10. Count (ct.)
Writing & Everyday · Everyday Abbreviations
States the number of items in a package, such as "60 ct." vitamins or "100 ct." paper plates. It appears on product labels and in online listings.
Example: Buy the 120 ct. bottle of ibuprofen; it costs less per tablet than the smaller one.
Count labels make it easy to compare unit prices between package sizes. In jewelry, ct means carat, a unit of mass for gemstones equal to 200 milligrams, so "1 ct. diamond" describes weight, not quantity. In legal citations, Ct. means court.
Related abbreviations
More medical imaging abbreviations
- BMD – Bone mineral density
- CBCT – Cone-beam computed tomography
- CECT – Contrast-enhanced computed tomography
- CIN – Contrast-induced nephropathy
- CTA – Computed tomography angiography
- CTH – Computed tomography of the head
- CTP – Computed tomography perfusion
- CTPA – Computed tomography pulmonary angiography
See all 58 medical imaging abbreviations →
More US state abbreviations
- AR – Arkansas
- AZ – Arizona
- CA – California
- CO – Colorado
- DC – District of Columbia
- DE – Delaware
- FL – Florida
- GA – Georgia
See all 51 US state abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.