Takes on or accepts as one's own; legally takes another's child into one's family; chooses to follow or implement a particular course of action.
From Latin 'adoptare' meaning 'to choose for oneself', from 'ad-' (to) plus 'optare' (to choose). The legal sense of taking a child developed from the Roman practice of formally choosing heirs, while the general sense of accepting ideas emerged later.
The concept of adoption exists in virtually every human culture, but the modern legal framework was largely shaped by 19th-century reforms that prioritized child welfare over family lineage. Today, adoption has expanded beyond children to include highways, animals, and even abstract concepts like policies or technologies.
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