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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary adapt \\ə-ˈdapt, a-\\ verb ETYMOLOGY French or Latin; French adapter, from Latin adaptare, from ad- + aptare to fit, from aptus apt, fit
DATE 15th century
transitive verb: to make fit (as for a specific or new use or situation) often by modification intransitive verb: to become adapted • adapt·ed·ness nounSynonyms. adapt , adjust , accommodate , conform , reconcile mean to bring one thing into correspondence with another. adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances adapted themselves to the warmer climate adjust suggests bringing into a close and exact correspondence or harmony such as exists between parts of a mechanism adjusted the budget to allow for inflation accommodate may suggest yielding or compromising to effect a correspondence accommodated his political beliefs in order to win conform applies to bringing into accordance with a pattern, example, or principle refused to conform to society's values reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible tried to reconcile what he said with what I knew
adapt c.1600 (implied in adapted) "to fit (something, for some purpose)," from M.Fr
http://M.Fr . adapter (14 c.), from L. adaptare "adjust," from ad- "to" + aptare "join," from aptus "fitted" (see apt). Meaning "to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances" (intr.) is from 1956.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishadapt
verb 1 change your behaviour ADV. successfully, well The children have adapted well to the heat. | quickly | easily, readily The company can easily adapt to changing demand. | accordingly We need to assess the new situation and adapt accordingly. VERB + ADAPT be able/unable to, can/cannot | have to, must | need to PREP. to PHRASES the ability to adapt Some animals have a remarkable ability to adapt to changing environments. | find it difficult/hard to adapt A lot of companies have found it hard to adapt to the new system. 2 change a thing PREP. for to adapt a book for television. | from The radio play had been adapted from a novel. PHRASES specially adapted The classroom has been specially adapted to take wheelchairs. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ adaptadapt / E5dApt / verb1. [VN] ~ sth (for sth) to change sth in order to make it suitable for a new use or situation 使适应,使适合(新用途、新情况) SYN modify : Most of these tools have been specially adapted for use by disabled people. 这些工具多数已经过特别改装,供残疾人使用。 These styles can be adapted to suit individual tastes. 这些式样可以修改,以适应个人不同爱好。 2. ~ (yourself) (to sth) to change your behaviour in order to deal more successfully with a new situation 适应(新情况) SYN adjust : ▪ [V] We have had to adapt quickly to the new system. 我们不得不迅速适应了新制度。 A large organization can be slow to adapt to change. 大机构可能应变迟缓。 The organisms were forced to adapt in order to survive. 生物被迫适应,以求生存。 It's amazing how soon you adapt. 你这么快就适应了,真是令人惊奇。 ▪ [VN] It took him a while to adapt himself to his new surroundings. 他过了好一阵子才适应了新环境。 3. [VN] ~ sth (for sth) (from sth) to change a book or play so that it can be made into a play, film / movie, television programme, etc. 改编；改写: Three of her novels have been adapted for television. 她的长篇小说中有三部已改编成电视节目。
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged adaptI. \əˈdapt also aˈ-\ verb( -ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: French or Latin; French adapter, from Latin adaptare, from ad- + aptare to fit, from aptus fit — more at apt transitive verb1. a. : to make suitable or fit (as for a particular use, purpose, or situation) : fit , suit < the toughness of the material adapts it for many uses > b. : to make suitable (for a new or different use or situation) by means of changes or modifications < he adapted the novel for the stage > < adapt his instruction to meet individual needs — P.H.Furfey >2. : to adjust (oneself) to particular conditions or ways : bring (oneself) into harmony with a particular environment : acclimatize < I could adapt myself to the isolated life — Ella E. Clark > < a given environment with organisms adapting themselves to it — A.N.Whitehead >intransitive verb: to become adjusted; specifically : to bring oneself or especially one's acts, behavior, or mental state into harmony with changed conditions or environment < man adapts socially to an increasingly complicated … culture — J.F.Brown >Synonyms: adjust , accommodate , conform , reconcile : to adapt to something or to adapt one thing to another implies a suiting or fitting by alteration or modification < to see men only in terms of the geographical conditions to which they adapt themselves — Alfred Kazin > < our plans must change in adapting to the new situations — Hugo Wall > < the inside walls are all movable so that the interior can easily be adapted to meet new requirements — London Calling > To adjust to something or to adjust one thing to another usually suggests no significant alteration or modification but rather a bringing into a correspondence or harmony, prearranged or clearly possible but not quite achieved previously < the main problem confronting the child is not yet to adjust to a cultural milieu but primarily to adjust to the rapidly changing phases of his biological growth — Franz Alexander > accommodate often suggests the special or transient adaptation of one thing to another or of two things to each other, implying a significant difference overcome in a specially arranged, temporary, or expedient harmony < local building ordinances … had been adjusted to accommodate the new materials and methods — Current Biography > < a water trough long enough to accommodate the noses of a barnful of thirsting cows — Monsanto Magazine > < a school auditorium must accommodate a large variety of acoustic activities — Bulletin of American Institute of Architects > conform implies the achievement of harmony or correspondence by compliance as with a preexisting pattern, form, or principle, sometimes carrying the implication of slavish compliance < to ensure that all work done conforms to the highest standards — Ivor Bulmer-Thomas > < certain lies are indulged in to conform to etiquette — D.C.Buchanan > < unwilling to conform to American ways — Oscar Handlin > To reconcile one thing with another or to reconcile two things, in the sense pertinent to this comparison, is to persuade oneself or others of the fundamental congruity of things that are, or seem to be, incompatible or to adjust the two things so that they are compatible < reconcile opposing points of view > < we can reconcile naturalism or, if you please, materialism with the piety which has distinguished genuinely spiritualistic views of life — M.R.Cohen > < the critical judgment of those who are suspicious of “best sellers” and unwilling to reconcile excellence with public taste — College English >II. adjectiveobsolete : fitted , suited |