model t adjective Usage: usually capitalized M&T Etymology: from Model T, early type of motor car having only two speeds forward and a hand gasoline feed that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Co. between 1909 and 1927 1.: belonging to an initial or rudimentary phase of development < when nuclear weapons were in the Model T stage of development — New York Times > 2.: old-fashioned, outmoded < a Model T plot > < a Model T school plant >