MOT

(roadworthiness test, aggregate grades): See Proper noun.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛm.əʊ.tiː/

MOT

1. (UK, historical) Initialism of Ministry of Transport (a former name of the Department for Transport) still in use relating to the MOT test it made compulsory in 1961, and three grades of aggregate it specified for road, path and sports court subbase layers.

MOT (countable and uncountable, plural MOTs)

1. (UK, countable, colloquial) An MOT test (an annual test of roadworthiness for most UK motor vehicles over three years old, or four years old in Northern Ireland).

   I can’t drive over this week, the car is in for its MOT.

   Synonym: (US) vehicle inspection

2. (UK, countable, by extension) Any regular checkup.
   • 2008, UK. Parliament. House of Commons. Communities and Local Government Committee, Existing Housing and Climate Change: Seventh Report (page 17)

     Mr. Baines: We have also said in our response that we believe that an 'MOT' for houses would be a good idea. How and when you apply this—
     Q120 Mr Olner: Wait a minute! I have got a motorcar and I have to have an MOT after three years, so if you are going to talk about an MOT for housing stock, what are we talking about in years […]

   • 2026 January 19, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Emma Reynolds MP, Government unveils biggest overhaul to water in a generation (press release) [1]

     The new regulator will introduce an 'MOT' approach for water company infrastructure, requiring health checks on pipes, pumps and more.

3. (UK) An aggregate which meets one of the three Ministry of Transport standards for use in road, path and sports court subbase layers.

   MOT Type 1 gives the strongest base, MOT Type 3 the best drainage, and MOT Type 2 is intermediate for both

4. (business, uncountable) Initialism of management of technology.
5. (electronics, countable) Initialism of microwave oven transformer.
6. Initialism of member of the tribe (“a Jew”).
   • 2012, Gil Troy, “Finding Members of the Tribe”, in The Daily Beast:

     And, of course, she and her family would be welcome in our home too, with bagels, crembos—and even the kind of four course meal we were lucky enough to enjoy with them, our fellow MoTs.

   • 2013, Stephanie Butnick, “American Apparel’s Black Nail Polish Color is Called 'Hassid'”, in Jewcy:

     This isn’t the first time American Apparel founder Dov Charney, who is Jewish, has gotten himself in hot water with his fellow MOTs.

7. (physics, countable) Initialism of magnetooptical trap.

MOT (third-person singular simple present MOTs, present participle MOTing, simple past and past participle MOTed)

1. (UK, colloquial) To subject a motor vehicle to an MOT test.

   I've got to get the car MOTed by Friday.

• DMV
• RTA

• OMT, OTM, TMO, Tom, tom

• M.O.T.

Short for mikä oli todistettava = mikä (“what”) + oli (“was”) + todistettava (“to be proven”)

MOT

1. (mathematics) QED, quod erat demonstrandum