Lt

Lt, often written as Lt or Lt., is an abbreviation with several distinct meanings. In military and police contexts, it most commonly stands for lieutenant, a commissioned officer rank in many armed forces. The term historically derives from the French lieutenenant, from lieu meaning place and tenant meaning holding—referring to someone who acts in the place of a superior. In the United States, the Army and Marine Corps use two lieutenant grades: Second Lieutenant (2LT), the entry-level rank, and First Lieutenant (1LT), a higher grade typically held after some years of service. Other militaries vary in nomenclature; some use “Lieutenant” as the direct translation of ranks corresponding to 2LT or 1LT in different languages. Insignia and duties differ by country, but lieutenants generally command smaller units or serve as staff officers and platoon leaders.

Outside military contexts, LT is used as the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for Lithuania; the country uses LT as its international vehicle registration code and the internet domain .lt. In scheduling and timetables, LT can stand for local time, indicating the time used at the event’s location as opposed to a universal or reference time such as UTC. In written form, “Lt.” or “Lt” is commonly used as a title following a name to denote rank, with punctuation and capitalization varying by country and style guide. The term thus functions as both a professional designation and a broader geographic code in international contexts.