Dictionary

adapter en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈdæptəɹ/ (US)
• /əˈdæptə(ɹ)/ (UK)
• ə-dăpʹtər
• (Canada) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *h₂ptós Proto-Italic *aptos Latin aptus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Proto-Indo-European [Term?]der. Proto-Italic *apjō Latin apiō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus ▲ Latin -ō Latin -tō Latin aptō Latin adaptōder. Middle English *adapten English adapt Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English adapter From adapt + -er.

Meanings

1. One who is capable of adapting to differing situations.
   • He was an able adapter, and could easily adjust to the differences when the company changed ownership.
2. One who adapts a thing, e.g. a play.
   • The critic gave rave reviews to the adapter of the ancient play, who worked to give the text more relevance to the modern day.
3. A device or application used to achieve operative compatibility between devices that otherwise are incompatible.
   • Sitting in the courtroom ..., their laptops and tablets propped before them, power cables snaking through convoluted adapters, the Twitterati have sight of witnesses at all times – the troubadours, or perhaps the tricoteuses, of the digital revolution. 2014 April 24, Alan Cowell, “At Pistorius trial, Twitterati have their day in court”, in The New York Times:
   • He had an adapter that let him plug his phone into the car's cigarette lighter for power.
4. A device or application used to achieve operative compatibility between devices that otherwise are incompatible. ▸ Specifically, a device that permits two or more plugs to be used at a single electrical power point.
   • The wall outlet sprouted an electrical monstrosity of adapters plugged into adapters that sparked ominously.
5. A device or application used to achieve operative compatibility between devices that otherwise are incompatible. ▸ Specifically, a device that allows one format of plug to be used with a different format of socket.
   • We bought adapters to use our three-prong plugs in the two-prong, unpolarized outlets of the old house.
6. A device or application used to achieve operative compatibility between devices that otherwise are incompatible. ▸ Specifically, an AC adapter: a device that reduces voltage and converts AC to DC to allow a battery-powered device to use mains power.
   • I lost my cellphone's adapter so I couldn't recharge it.
7. (qualifier:machine learning; artificial intelligence; machine learning; artificial intelligence) A collection of low-rank matrices which, when added to a base model, produces a fine-tuned model; a LoRA.

Forms

Deriveds

adaptive · adaptableness · adaptativeness · adaptatively · adaptability · adaptee · wireless adapter · seroadapter · adaption · adaptative · adaptness · adaptitude · adaptedness · adaptiveness · adaptorial · microadapter · adaptively · adaptation · USB adapter · travel adapter · object adapter pattern · double adapter · expansion adapter · graphics adapter · class adapter pattern · adapter pattern · adaptable · adaptably · adaptational · adaptly · adaptional

Descendants

アダプター · adapta

Hyponyms

network adapter · IPv6 adapter · cell phone adapter · phone to PC adapter · analog telephone adapter · Claisen adapter · IPv4 adapter · power adapter · LAN adapter · phone adapter · AC adapter

Translations (124)

nl bewerker (one who adapts something) · fi sopeutuja (one who adapts well) · kl sarfamut nuutsissut (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ca adaptador (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · bg ада́птер (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · nl adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · bg приста́вка (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · lo ປັກສຽບໄຟ (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · bg прехо́ден дета́йл (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ja アダプタ (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · fi haaroituspistorasia (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · fi adapteri (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · nb adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · eo adaptilo (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · sh adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · uk ада́птер (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · th ตัวปรับต่อ (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · pl przejściówka (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · pt adaptador (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · cmn 適配器 /适配器 (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ru переходни́к (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · ka ადაპტერი (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · nl bewerkster (one who adapts something) · es adaptador (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · mi pūwhāurutau (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · tr adaptör (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · nl verloopstekker (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · ca adaptador (one who adapts something) · el προσαρμοστής (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · eo adaptilo (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · fi sovitin (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · de Steckdosenleiste (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · nl wereldstekker (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · de Adapter (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · lo ປັກສຽບໄຟ (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · es ladrón (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ar مُشْتَرَك كَهْرَبَائِيّ (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ast lladrón (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · pt adaptador (one who adapts something) · pl złodziejka (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · fr adaptateur (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · yo amúbádọ́gba (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · de Adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · bg удължи́тел (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · nl adapter (device that converts AC to DC for battery-powered gadgets) · eo adaptilo (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · cs rozdvojka (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · de Steckerleiste (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · es regleta (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ro adaptor (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · et adapter (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · pt benjamim (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · sv adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · be ада́птэр (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · bg разклони́тел (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ru переходни́к (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ja アダプター (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · sl adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · pt adaptador (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · fi verkkosovitin (device that converts AC to DC for battery-powered gadgets) · pl adaptator (one who adapts something) · mk ада́птер (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ko 어댑터 (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · nl verdeelstekker (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · pl adapter (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · sh адаптер (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · bg пре́ходник (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · hy ադապտեր (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · el προσαρμοστής (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · tr priz adaptörü (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · it adattatore (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · da adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · uk перехідни́к (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · sk adaptér (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · fr adaptateur (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ur اڈاپٹر (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · uk перехідни́к (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · cmn 適配器 /适配器 (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · nl dominostekker (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · cs adaptér (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · fr adaptateur (one who adapts something) · tr adaptör (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · km អាដាប់ធ័រ (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · be перахадні́к (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · lv adapteris (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · hu adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · fi sovitin (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · pl rozgałęźnik (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · pl przedłużacz (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · fi haaroitin (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · hi अडाप्टर (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · pl adaptatorka (one who adapts something) · es adaptador (one who adapts something) · ca adaptador (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · fi verkkoadapteri (device that converts AC to DC for battery-powered gadgets) · pt adaptador (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · nl driewegstekker (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · lt adapteris (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · pt T (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · sk rozdvojka (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ro adaptor (one who adapts well) · fi sovittaja (one who adapts something) · ar مُوَائِم (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · sk rozbočka (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · ro adaptor (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · fi adapteri (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · be ада́птар (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ro adaptor (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ka გადამყვანი (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · el προσαρμογέας (one who adapts something) · fa مبدل (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ru ада́птер (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · tr adaptör (device that converts AC to DC for battery-powered gadgets) · es adaptador (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · pl adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · ja アダプター (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · ru ада́птер (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · nl reisstekker (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · es adaptador (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · km អាដាប់ធ័រ (device allowing plug to fit in an outlet of different type) · cs rozbočka (device allowing more plugs at an outlet) · mi pūurutau (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · et adapter (device to allow compatibility (in general)) · fr adaptateur (device allowing more plugs at an outlet)