To bring one thing into correspondence with another. Adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances . . . .
R E F E R E N C E S
Adapt vb [F or L; F adapter, fr. L adaptare, fr. ad- + aptare to fit, fr. aptus apt, fit] vt [15c]: to make fit [as for a specific or new use or situation] often by modification -vi: to become adapted
syn- Adapt, Adjust, Accommodate, Conform, Reconcile mean to bring one thing into correspondence with another. Adapt implies a modification according to changing circumstances [adapted themselves to the warmer climate]. Adjust suggests bringing into a close and exact correspondence or harmony such as exists between parts of a mechanism [adjusted the budget to allow for inflation]. Accommodate may suggest yielding or compromising to effect a correspondence [accommodated his political beliefs in order to win]. Conform applies to bringing into accordance with a pattern, example, or principle [refused to conform to society's idea of morality]. Reconcile implies the demonstration of the underlying compatibility of things that seem to be incompatible [tried to reconile what they said with what I knew].
Adaptation [1610] 1: the act or process of adapting: the state of being adapted 2: adjustment to envirionmental conditions: as a: adjustment of a sense organ to the intensity or quality of stimulation b: modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence under the conditions of its environment 3: something that is adapted; specif: a composition rewritten into a new form
[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield, MA, USA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1995.]
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