adapt

[uh-dapt] /əˈdæpt/
verb (used with object)
1.
to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly:
They adapted themselves to the change quickly. He adapted the novel for movies.
verb (used without object)
2.
to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc.:
to adapt easily to all circumstances.
Origin
1605-15; < Latin adaptāre to fit, adjust, perhaps via French adapter. See ad-, apt
Related forms
adaptedness, noun
misadapt, verb
nonadapting, adjective
readapt, verb (used with object)
unadapted, adjective
well-adapted, adjective
Can be confused
adapt, adept, adopt.
Synonyms
1. fit, accommodate, suit, reconcile, conform; modify, rework, convert. See adjust.
Examples from the web for adapt
  • Moreover, at the outset they were naturally unable to adapt themselves to the special and peculiar needs of their condition.
  • The idea is that individuals adapt their behaviour to adjust to government budget shifts.
  • Accessories change, adapt to the times and fashion trends.
  • They adapt to these conditions by hibernating in the winter.
  • However, a few retailers were still hesitant about how their business could adapt in a new landscape.
  • The alternative color forms of some animals are providing new insights into how animals adapt and evolve.
  • There was no way to know how quickly, or how well, the team would adapt.
  • At all ages we learn to adapt to change and flow with it.
  • Companies must adapt to a world where no secret is safe.
  • Smaller plants seem to grow faster and adapt to the garden better than bigger plants.
British Dictionary definitions for adapt

adapt

/əˈdæpt/
verb
1.
(often foll by to) to adjust (someone or something, esp oneself) to different conditions, a new environment, etc
2.
(transitive) to fit, change, or modify to suit a new or different purpose: to adapt a play for use in schools
Derived Forms
adaptable, adjective
adaptability, adaptableness, noun
adaptive, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin adaptāre, from ad- to + aptāre to fit, from aptusapt
Word Origin and History for adapt
v.

early 15c. (implied in adapted) "to fit (something, for some purpose)," from Middle French adapter (14c.), from Latin adaptare "adjust," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + aptare "join," from aptus "fitted" (see apt). Meaning "to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances" (intransitive) is from 1956. Related: Adapting.

adapt in Technology

language
A subset of APT.
[Sammet 1969, p. 606].
(1995-02-14)

Related Abbreviations for adapt

Adapt

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