Adapts

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Changes or modifies something to suit different conditions or uses
2. Alters or adjusts to better fit new environments or requirements
3. Makes adjustments or changes to accommodate new situations or demands

Etymology: The verb "adapt" is a Latin compound built from a preposition and an adjective. Its root, "aptus," meant "fit" or "suitable," and it is related to "apere," "to fasten" or "to join." Latin speakers used "aptāre" for "to make fit," and when they added "ad-" ("to"), the result was "adaptāre," "to fit to." The meaning is still physical at heart: making one thing fit another, the way a part is shaped to slot into a machine. English borrowed the idea through a Middle English form that appears only in the past participle "adapted," and the verb itself took hold as a loanword from Latin. Its original sense was concrete, close to "to make suitable or fitting," and the figurative sense of adjusting something to changing circumstances developed from that core. The same Latin root also gave English "apt," so "adapt" and "apt" are close relatives that share the idea of fitting.

Synonyms: adjusts, modifies, changes, tailors, customizes

Antonyms: stagnates, remains, retains, resists, refuses