| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ad·just |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   -j st |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: ad·just·ed, ad·just·ing, ad·justs
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To change so as to match or fit; cause to correspond. 2. To bring into proper relationship. 3. To adapt or conform, as to new conditions: “unable to adjust themselves to their environment” (Karl A. Menninger). See synonyms at adapt. 4. To bring the components of into a more effective or efficient calibration or state: adjust the timing of a car's engine. 5. In chiropracty, to manipulate (the spine and other body structures) to treat disorders and restore normal function of the nervous system. 6. To decide how much is to be paid on (an insurance claim). | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To adapt oneself; conform. 2. To achieve a psychological balance with regard to one's external environment, one's needs, and the demands of others. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Obsolete French adjuster, from Old French ajoster, from Vulgar Latin *adi xt re, to put close to : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin ixt, near; see yeug- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | ad·justa·ble —ADJECTIVE
ad·justa·bly —ADVERB
ad·juster, ad·justor —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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