Lewis & Short

ăd-opto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to take to one’s self by wish, choice (optando); to choose, select.

  1. I. In gen.: sociam te mihi adopto ad meam salutem, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 78: qui manstutorem me adoptavit bonis, who has chosen me as a guardian of his property, id. Truc. 4, 4, 6: quem sibi illa (provincia) defensorem sui juris adoptavit, Cic. Div. in Caecin. 16 fin.: eum sibi patronum, id ib. 20, 64: quem potius adoptem aut invocem, Vatin. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 9: Frater, Pater, adde; Ut cuique est aetas, ita quemque facetus adopta (i. e. adscisce, adjunge, sc. tuo alloquio, Cruqu.), make him by thy greeting a father, brother, etc., i. e. call him, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 55: Etruscas Turnus adoptat opes, strives after, Ov. F. 4, 880.
    Hence: adoptare se alicui, to give or attach one’s self to: qui se potentiae causā Caesaris libertis adoptāsset, Plin. 12, 1, 5, § 12.
  2. II. Esp. as t. t., to take one in the place of a child or grandchild, to adopt (diff. from arrogo; v. adoptio).
    1. A. Lit., constr. with aliquem, also with ab aliquo aliquem (from the real father, a patre naturali), Plaut. Poen. prol. 74 (cf. id. ib. 4, 2, 82): adoptat illum puerum subreptitium sibi filium, id. Men. prol. 60: filium senatorem populum Romanum sibi velle adoptare, Cic. Dom. 14: adoptatus patricius a plebeio, id. Att. 7, 7: is qui hunc minorem Scipionem a Paulo adoptavit, id. Brut. 19, 77: adoptavit eum heredemque fecit ex dodrante, Nep. Att. 5, 2: adoptatus testamento, Suet. Tib. 6: adoptari a se Pisonem pronuntiat, Tac. H. 1, 18: Pisonem pro contione adoptavit, Suet. Galb. 17: quem illa adoptavit, Vulg. Exod. 2, 10.
      With in and acc.: in regnum, Sall. J. 22, 3: in familiam nomenque, Suet. Caes. 83: in successionem, Just. 9, 2.
    2. B. Fig.: servi in bona libertatis nostrae adoptantur, are, as it were, adopted into freedom, are made participants of freedom, Flor. 3, 20; and of ingrafting (cf. adoptivus): venerit insitio: fac ramum ramus adoptet, Ov. R. Am. 195; so Col. 10, 38. Those who were adopted commonly received the family name of the adoptive father, with the ending -anus, e. g. Aemilianus, Pomponianus, etc.
      Hence Cic. says ironic. of one who appropriated to himself the name of another: ipse se adoptat: et C. Stalenus, qui se ipse adoptaverat et de Staleno Aelium fecerat, had changed himself from a Stalenus to an Ælius, Brut. 68, 241; and Vitruv.: Zoilus qui adoptavit cognomen, ut Homeromastix vocitaretur, had himself called, 7, 8. So: ergo aliquod gratum Musis tibi nomen adopta, Mart. 6, 31; in Pliny, very often, adoptare aliquid (also with the addition of nomine suo or in nomen), to give a thing its name: Baetis Oceanum Atlanticum, provinciam adoptans, petit, while it gives to the province the name (Baetica). Plin. 3, 1, 3, § 9: A Zmyrna Hermus campos facit et nomini suo adoptat, id. 5, 29, 31, § 119; so 25, 3, 7, § 22: in nomen, id. 37, 3, 12, § 50; so also Statius, Theb. 7, 259.