adopter
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a·dopt
(ə-dŏpt′)tr.v. a·dopt·ed, a·dopt·ing, a·dopts
1. To take on the legal responsibilities as parent of (a child that is not one's biological child).
2. To become the owner or caretaker of (a pet, especially one from a shelter).
3.
a. To take and follow (a course of action, for example) by choice or assent: adopt a new technique.
b. To take up and make one's own: adopt a new idea.
4. To move to or resettle in (a place).
5. To take on or assume: adopted an air of importance.
6. To vote to accept: adopt a resolution.
7. To choose as standard or required in a course: adopt a new line of English textbooks.
[Middle English adopten, from Old French adopter, from Latin adoptāre : ad-, ad- + optāre, to choose.]
a·dopt′a·bil′i·ty n.
a·dopt′a·ble adj.
a·dopt′er n.
a·dop′tion n.
Usage Note: Children are adopted by parents, and we normally refer to an adopted child but to adoptive parents, families, and homes. When describing places, one can use either adopted or adoptive: her adopted city; her adoptive city.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
adopter
(əˈdɒptə)n
1. (Social Welfare) person who adopts a child
2. person who takes up something. See also early adopter
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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| Noun | 1. |  adopter - a person who adopts a child of other parents as his or her own childparent - a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian |
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