A person who legally takes a child born to other parents and raises them as their own.
From Latin 'adoptare' (to choose for oneself), combining 'ad-' (to) and 'optare' (to choose). The suffix '-er' indicates one who performs the action. The term emerged in English during the 14th century to describe the legal and familial practice of taking in children.
Interestingly, the word 'adopt' shares the same root as 'option'—both come from 'optare' meaning to choose. So adopters and voters are etymologically cousins; both are people exercising choice, one in family law and one in democracy.
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