IT
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Information technology |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Geography & Places, Military, Medical, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | It. |
IT has five meanings. The most common are Information technology (computer) and Italy (country code); it can also stand for Information Systems Technician, Intrathecal and Italian.
Meanings of IT at a glance
| # | IT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Information technology | Technology & Computing › Computer |
| 2 | Italy | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 3 | Information Systems Technician | Military › US Navy and Coast Guard Rating |
| 4 | Intrathecal | Medical › Medication Route |
| 5 | Italian | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. Information technology
Technology & Computing · Computer Abbreviations
The use of computers, networks, storage and software to create, process and exchange information, and by extension the department that runs an organization's technology. IT staff handle everything from password resets and laptop setup to servers, security and business applications.
Example: Please open a ticket with IT if your laptop won't connect to the office Wi-Fi.
The phrase appeared in a 1958 Harvard Business Review article by Harold Leavitt and Thomas Whisler. Pronounced as letters ("eye-tee") and always capitalized to avoid confusion with the pronoun. Related labels include ICT (information and communications technology), favored in British and European education, and IS (information systems), which leans toward the business side.
2. Italy
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Italy's code, alpha-3 ITA, with Rome as its capital and two independent enclaves, Vatican City (VA) and San Marino (SM), inside its borders. The .it domain is also used for word plays such as do.it.
Example: Italian IBANs start with IT and contain 27 characters.
In English IT usually means information technology, so form fields should say country code. The vehicle sign for Italy is I, and the language code for Italian is it.
3. Information Systems Technician
Military · US Navy and Coast Guard Rating Abbreviations
Navy specialists who operate and secure computer networks, satellite and radio communications, message handling and cryptographic systems on ships, submarines and shore commands. The rating formed in the late 1990s, replacing the Radioman rating.
Example: IT2 Choi restored the ship's SIPRNet connection after the satellite handover.
ITs require security clearances and often earn civilian IT certifications, which makes them sought after when they leave the service. Submarine information technicians follow their own career path. In everyday English, IT is the generic term for information technology, so Navy writing usually adds a pay grade, as in IT1.
4. Intrathecal
Medical · Medication Route Abbreviations
Delivery of a drug into the cerebrospinal fluid of the spinal canal, by lumbar puncture, an Ommaya reservoir or an implanted pump. It is used for spinal anesthesia, chemotherapy for leukemia, baclofen for spasticity and nusinersen for spinal muscular atrophy.
Example: Methotrexate 12 mg IT with LP on day 8.
ISMP lists IT as error-prone because it has been read as intratracheal, intratumor, intratympanic or inhalation therapy. Accidental intrathecal injection of vincristine is almost always fatal, with more than 100 such cases reported worldwide. WHO and ISMP therefore recommend dispensing vincristine only in IV minibags, never syringes. IT also means information technology and, in oncology, intratumoral.
5. Italian (It.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Labels Italian as the source language in etymologies and glossaries. Italian contributed many English terms in music, art, architecture, banking and cuisine.
Example: piano (n.) short for pianoforte, from It. piano e forte "soft and loud"
Musical terms such as allegro, forte, soprano and crescendo come from Italian, as do banking words like "bankrupt," from banca rotta, "broken bench." Food words such as espresso and al dente are more recent borrowings. Another form of the label is Ital.
Related abbreviations
More computer abbreviations
- ICT – Information and communications technology
- IME – Input method editor
- Ins – Insert key
- IS – Information systems
- ITIL – Information Technology Infrastructure Library
- ITSM – IT service management
- KB – Knowledge Base
- Mac – Macintosh
See all 92 computer abbreviations →
More country code abbreviations
- IO – British Indian Ocean Territory
- IQ – Iraq
- IR – Iran
- JE – Jersey
- JM – Jamaica
- JO – Jordan
- JP – Japan
- KE – Kenya
See all 270 country code abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.