something produced by adapting: an adaptation of a play for television.
Biology.
any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment.
a form or structure modified to fit a changed environment.
the ability of a species to survive in a particular ecological niche, especially because of alterations of form or behavior brought about through natural selection.
Physiology. the decrease in response of sensory receptor organs, as those of vision, touch, temperature, olfaction, audition, and pain, to changed, constantly applied, environmental conditions.
Ophthalmology. the regulating by the pupil of the quantity of light entering the eye.
Also a·dap·tion[uh-dap-shuhn]. /əˈdæp ʃən/. Sociology. a slow, usually unconscious modification of individual and social activity in adjustment to cultural surroundings.
Origin of adaptation
1600–10; <Medieval Latin adaptātiōn- (stem of adaptātiō), equivalent to Latin adaptāt(us) (past participle of adaptāre to adapt; see -ate1) + -iōn--ion
So it’s not exactly an adaptation of a book you’ve seen at the library — instead, it’s an imagining of one of Japan’s most famous stories.
7 daring movie adaptations of literary classics|Allegra Frank|August 28, 2020|Vox
My generation must help Gen Z learn to push on the levers of technical, political, cultural, and economic change, and to draw on existential tools or “deep adaptation” in times of crisis.
Generation Z is ‘traumatized’ by climate change—and they’re the key to fighting it|matthewheimer|August 19, 2020|Fortune
There’s a lack of public understanding and support for undertaking coastal adaptation actions, Ehrlers said.
Sacramento Report: Uber vs. California|Voice of San Diego|August 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
When Beyoncé releases music, it’s an event — even when it’s a soundtrack to a live-action adaptation of an animated film.
This Weekend: A Sangria Slushie Summer|Fiona Zublin|August 7, 2020|Ozy
He listed ways he was hoping the school districts experimented with outdoor spaces and other adaptations to be able to serve students in person.
Morning Report: The Criminal Justice World Changed After This Police Shooting|Voice of San Diego|July 30, 2020|Voice of San Diego
In all fairness, too, Marshall has at the ready pretty rational reasons for almost every change he made in this adaptation.
Rob Marshall Defends ‘Into the Woods’|Kevin Fallon|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This Jack Clayton adaptation of The Turn of the Screw is one of the rare pictures that does justice to Henry James.
Scorsese’s Scariest Movies of All Time|Martin Scorsese|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I asked the Smith brothers to do an adaptation and they did an adaptation of The Death of Jim Loney, another book by Jim Welch.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work|William O’Connor|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Fault in Our Stars is an adaptation of John Green's beloved YA novel, helmed by two relative unknowns.
Young Adult Novel Adaptations Put Mainstream Blockbusters to Shame|Amy Zimmerman|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maggie Smith was Desdemona, the victim of circumstance, in the 1965 Othello adaptation.
Shakespeare’s Movie Magic|Marina Watts, Malcolm Jones|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So the adaptation of new words and accompaniment to an old air is a musical composition entitled to protection.
A Treatise Upon the Law of Copyright in the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the Crown,|E. J. MacGillivray
In attempting to decide between the two conflicting views the study of adaptation is of the first importance.
Mimicry in Butterflies|Reginald Crundall Punnett
Thus the opening for hearing is an adaptation of what was once an opening for breathing.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
Courbet learned in his passage that in adaptation is the confession of sterility.
Modern Painting, Its Tendency and Meaning|Willard Huntington Wright
An adaptation on the top of the piston-rod, stretching out athwart the cylinder, from the ends of which the side-rods hang.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth
British Dictionary definitions for adaptation
adaptation
/ (ˌædəpˈteɪʃən, ˌædæp-) /
noun
the act or process of adapting or the state of being adapted; adjustment
something that is produced by adapting something else
something that is changed or modified to suit new conditions or needs
biologyan inherited or acquired modification in organisms that makes them better suited to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
physiolthe decreased response of a sense organ to a repeated or sustained stimulus
psychol(in learning theory) the weakening of a response to a stimulus with repeated presentation of the stimulus without reinforcement; applied mainly to innate responses
social welfarealteration to a dwelling to make it suitable for a disabled person, as by replacing steps with ramps
The acquisition of modifications in an organism that enable it to adjust to life in a new environment.
An advantageous change in the function or constitution of an organ or tissue to meet new physiological conditions.
Adjustment of the pupil and retina to varying degrees of illumination.
A property of certain receptors through which they become less responsive or cease to respond to repeated or continued stimuli of constant intensity.
The fitting, condensing, or contouring of a restorative dental material to a tooth or cast.
The dynamic process in which the behavior and physiological mechanisms of an individual continually change to adjust to variations in living conditions.
A change in structure, function, or behavior by which a species or individual improves its chance of survival in a specific environment. Adaptations develop as the result of natural selection operating on random genetic variations that are capable of being passed from one generation to the next. Variations that prove advantageous will tend to spread throughout the population.
A Closer Look
The gazelle is extremely fast, and the cheetah is even faster. These traits are adaptations-characteristics or behaviors that give an organism an edge in the struggle for survival. Darwinian theory holds that adaptations are the result of a two-stage process: random variation and natural selection. Random variation results from slight genetic differences. For example, one cheetah in a group may be slightly faster than the others and thus have a better chance of catching a gazelle. The faster cheetah therefore has a better chance of being well-fed and living long enough to produce offspring. Since the cheetah's young have the same genes that made this parent fast, they are more likely to be fast than the young of slower cheetahs. The process is repeated in each generation, and thereby great speed becomes an adaptation common to cheetahs. This same process of natural selection, in which the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations while those less adapted tend to be eliminated, also favors the fastest gazelles. Though evolution, in this case, may be thought of as an arms race, animals may also adapt to their environment in a process known as adaptive radiation, as the so-called Darwin's finches in the Galápagos have done. On the islands, one type of finch gradually gave rise to some 13 different species of birds with differently shaped beaks, each species having adapted to its varying food niches and feeding habits. And, though we seldom think of it, humans also have an impact on an organism's adaptation to its environment. For instance, because of the misuse of antibiotics, some disease-causing bacteria have rapidly adapted to become resistant to the drugs.