Adjust

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈd͡ʒʌst/

Definitions

1. To change or modify something slightly to make it more suitable, accurate, or effective for a particular purpose
2. To modify or alter an object or system slightly to enhance its suitability, effectiveness, or performance for specific circumstances
3. To make slight modifications or changes to something in order to improve its fit, accuracy, or performance for a given context

Etymology: The most striking thing about "adjust" is how close it came to meaning something quite different from its modern sense. Its earliest English form, from the late 1300s, meant "to correct" or "to remedy," so the word was about putting something right rather than fine-tuning it. The sense of making small changes to get something to fit came later, when the word was taken up again from French in the early 1600s. The word's pieces point back to Latin. The prefix "ad-" meant "to" or "towards," and "iustus" meant "correct, proper, exact," which is also the root of "just." In other words, "adjust" literally carries the idea of bringing something toward correctness. Its ancestry is tangled, though, because a separate Old French verb, "ajouster," meaning to join or add, seems to have influenced its form and meaning. Some scholars think the two ran together, and the word may have been shaped by folk association with "iustus" rather than deriving from it directly.

Synonyms: modify, alter, adapt, change, correct

Antonyms: unadjust, disturb, disarrange, misalign, neglect