adaptation

The word “adaptation” means the process of adjusting something, or of adjusting to a new situation. In plain terms, a change made to fit new conditions, or a version of a story reworked for a new format.

“Adaptation” is pronounced ad-uhp-TAY-shuhn (/ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “adaptation” used in a sentence: “Adaptation to remote work took most teams several months.”

“Adaptation” is a noun.

The word “adaptation” comes from Latin. From French adaptation, from Latin adaptatio, built on adaptare, "to fit to.".

“Adaptation” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Adaptation” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the process of adjusting something, or of adjusting to a new situation.

They mean the same thing, but adaptation is the standard form in both British and American English, while adaption is a much less common variant. Careful writers and editors generally prefer adaptation, and it is the spelling used in scientific and literary contexts alike.

An adjustment is usually a small change made to fine-tune something, while an adaptation is a fuller change that suits something or someone to new conditions. Adaptation also carries specialised senses that adjustment does not, such as a biological trait that aids survival or a story reworked for film or stage.

In everyday use, adaptation is the process of adjusting to a new situation, such as adapting to a new job. In biology it is more specific: an adaptation is a trait or change that helps a living thing survive better in its environment, such as camouflage or thick fur in cold climates, and it typically arises over many generations rather than within one lifetime.

A film adaptation is a book, play, or other work that has been reshaped for the screen. The term signals that the movie is based on existing source material rather than an original screenplay, and the same idea applies to stage adaptations and television adaptations.