noun

adoption

uh-DAHP-shuhn/əˈdɑːpʃn/

The act of taking someone or something as one's own.

The family completes the adoption documents with an official.

A family and official complete adoption documents at a courthouse, legal parenthood process.

Etymology

adLatinto, toward

+optLatinchoose, desire

+ionLatinaction or process

The choosing expressed by the roots becomes an action or process through the noun ending. The Latin noun already meant taking someone as one's child, so the family meaning is inherited rather than a later metaphor.

In context

ChildrensLawCenterDC11:43

in a legal custody situation there's no termination of parental rights like there is in an adoption

Overview of Permanency Options and Neglect

More examples

The court approved the child's adoption last month.
Widespread adoption of the software lowered its cost.
The committee recommended adoption of the revised proposal.

Forms

adoption · adoptions

adopt verb — To take someone or something as one's own.

adoptive adjective — Connected through adoption rather than by birth.

Similar words

acceptance: Does not necessarily establish ownership or a permanent legal relationship.
implementation: Means putting a plan into practice after its acceptance.