CRT

CRT stands for cathode-ray tube, the vacuum tube technology that powered television sets and computer monitors for most of the twentieth century.

CRTs create images by firing electron beams at a phosphorescent screen.

Though largely replaced by flat-panel displays, CRT monitors retain a following among retro gamers and video enthusiasts who value their color accuracy and response time: I still have an old CRT in the basement.

CRT also abbreviates critical race theory, an academic framework examining how laws and institutions perpetuate racial inequality—a term that became politically charged in American education debates around 2020. (Lowercase crt abbreviates court.)