Verb

to adopt (third-person singular simple present adopts, present participle adopting, simple past and past participle adopted)

1. (transitive) To take by choice into relationship, as, child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.; especially to take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child.

   A friend of mine recently adopted a Chinese baby girl found on the streets of Beijing.

2. (transitive) To take or receive as one's own what is not so naturally; to select and take or approve; as, to adopt the view or policy of another; these resolutions were adopted.

Related terms

• adoptee
• adoption
• adoptive
• adoptive father
• adoptive mother
• adopt out

Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another who is not kin and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents. Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for the care of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and as such requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction. Historically some societies have enacted specific laws governing adoption whereas others have endeavored to achieve adoption through less formal means, notably via contracts that specified inheritance rights and parental responsibilities. Modern systems of adoption, arising in the 20th century, tend to be governed by comprehensive statutes and regulations.

Adoption has a long history in the Western world, closely tied with the legacy of the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church. Its use has changed considerably over the centuries with its focus shifting from adult adoption and inheritance issues toward children and family creation and its structure moving from a recognition of continuity between the adopted and kin toward allowing relationships of lessened intensity.

History