'adopt' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'adoptare,' where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'optare' meant 'to choose.'

'adoptare' transformed into the Old French word 'adopter,' and eventually became the modern English word 'adopt' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to choose or select,' but over time it evolved into its current meanings of 'to take as one's own' and 'to take up or follow.'