co-optation
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co-opt
(kō-ŏpt′, kō′ŏpt′)tr.v. co-opt·ed, co-opt·ing, co-opts
1. To elect as a fellow member of a group.
2. To appoint summarily.
3. To take or assume for one's own use; appropriate: co-opted the criticism by embracing it.
4. To neutralize or win over (an independent minority, for example) through assimilation into an established group or culture: co-opt rebels by giving them positions of authority.
[Latin cooptāre : co-, co- + optāre, to choose.]
co′-op·ta′tion n.
co-op′ta·tive (-tə-tĭv) adj.
co-op′tion n.
co-op′tive adj.
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.
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Noun | 1. | co-optation - the selection of a new member (usually by a vote of the existing membership) election - the act of selecting someone or something; the exercise of deliberate choice; "her election of medicine as a profession" |
2. | co-optation - the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent) appointment, designation, naming, assignment - the act of putting a person into a non-elective position; "the appointment had to be approved by the whole committee" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.