Meaning & use
NT
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Meanings
abbreviation
Short written form of 'New Testament', the part of the Christian Bible that tells about Jesus and the first Christians.
Grammar: Used before a noun or on its own: NT letters, or 'the NT' meaning the whole collection.
Patterns
- the NT
- NT + plural noun
- in the NT
Our study group is reading through the NT this year, one book at a time.
The pastor quoted a verse from the NT during the Sunday service.
Many editions print the NT before the OT, even though the OT comes first in the Christian canon.
abbreviationtechnical
Used in writing to mean the New Testament wording of a Bible verse, to show which part of the Bible is meant.
Grammar: Comes after a book name and chapter number, often in the pattern 'John 3:16 NT'.
Patterns
- book + chapter:verse + NT
- NT + book name
The footnote read 'Matthew 5:9 NT' so readers would know which version was quoted.
In her essay she cited Romans 12:2 NT rather than the parallel passage in the OT.
Common combinations
- the NT
- He knows the NT far better than the OT.
- NT studies
- She is doing a graduate degree in NT studies.
- NT Greek
- The course teaches NT Greek so students can read the letters in the original language.
- an NT scholar
- An NT scholar gave a public lecture on the parables.
- NT times
- Daily life in NT times looked very different from ours.
- quote the NT
- He likes to quote the NT when he argues about forgiveness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- New Testament
- The full name; use it in speech and in formal writing, and keep NT for notes, headings and quick references.
- the Gospels
- Only the first four books about Jesus's life, so it is narrower than NT, which covers all the New Testament books.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: NT or OT? NT or N.T.?
NT vs OT
OT means the Old Testament, the earlier part; NT means the New Testament. Mixing them up changes which Bible passage you are pointing to.
NT vs N.T.
The dotted spelling is old-fashioned and rare today; modern style guides prefer plain capitals, NT.
Practice
Which sentence uses NT correctly?
Choose one answer.
NT stands for the New Testament, which begins with the Gospels, so Mark fits. Genesis and the Torah belong to the OT, and the Quran is not part of the Bible at all.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “NT”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.