- pronunciation:
dapt
- features:
- Note, Word History, Word Builder, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
adopts, adopting, adopted |
| definition 1: |
to become a parent of (someone) by law, or to accept an animal as a pet and become responsible for it.
We adopted a baby, so now we have two children.They adopted a dog from the animal shelter.
- similar words:
- parent
|
| definition 2: |
to accept in an official way, often by voting.
The city adopted a new traffic law.- synonyms:
- approve, pass
- similar words:
- back, endorse, vote for
|
| related words: |
choose, pass |
|
|
| derivations: |
adoptable (adj.), adopter (n.) |
adopt or adapt?
Adopt means to accept a new thing as your own.
Adapt means to make changes because of a new purpose or situation.
Compare:
- We adopted a puppy from the animal shelter.
- The puppy soon adapted to its new home.
The English word
adopt is from a Latin word
adoptare that means "to choose for oneself" or "to choose as one's own." If you take away the prefix
ad- from
adoptare, the word
optare is left.
Optare means "to choose freely." Other English words that come from
optare include "option" (a choice) and "opt" (choose).