To take something as your own, such as a child, a pet, an idea, or a practice. It often involves accepting responsibility and making a lasting choice.
From Latin *adoptare* meaning “to choose for oneself,” from *ad-* “to” and *optare* “to choose, wish for.” It entered English through Old French in the Middle Ages.
At its core, ‘adopt’ is about choosing, not just receiving. Whether you adopt a child or a new habit, you’re saying, “This is mine now, and I’m committed to it.”
Adoption practices and narratives have often been gendered, with women framed as primary caregivers and sometimes stigmatized for placing children for adoption. Legal and social frameworks historically prioritized married heterosexual couples, affecting who was recognized as an adoptive parent.
Use "adopt" in family contexts with sensitivity to diverse family structures and without assuming mothers bear sole emotional or moral responsibility. In non-family contexts (e.g., "adopt a policy"), the term is generally neutral.
["take up","implement","choose","foster"]
Women, including single mothers and queer parents, have advocated for more inclusive and less stigmatizing adoption frameworks, expanding who can adopt and how birth parents are treated.
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