Sunday, December 11, 2016

adopt, adapt

Adopt, adapt

To adopt something is to take it as one's own, as to adopt a stray cat or to adopt a new dress code.
To adapt is to alter something slightly to make it fit a new situation. For example, if one is mechanically inclined, one can adapt an engine to make it fit a different make of car, or one can adapt a set of rules from one organization so that they can be used in a different organization.