Adapter

a person or thing that .

a connector for joining parts or devices having different sizes, designs, etc., enabling them to be fitted or to work together.
also called plug adapter, adapter plug. a device that connects an electrical plug to an outlet that has a different plug shape:
last time i traveled, i brought the wrong adapter.
also called ac adapter, power adapter. a device with a cord that plugs into an electrical outlet and functions as an external power supply for a small or portable electronic device, usually converting ac current to dc:
i forgot to plug in the adapter, and my laptop died.

an accessory to convert a machine, tool, or part to a new or modified use.
computers.

.
an external device containing the necessary circuitry to connect to or work with another device or system:
a network adapter; a wireless adapter; a video adapter.

historical examples

don’t try to slide the adapter into the opening from the top.
the science of fingerprints federal bureau of investigation

burton, indeed, hailed the adapter of omar khayyam as a “fellow sufi.”
the life of sir richard burton thomas wright

longfellow is an adapter, a translator, a simple-hearted man.
children of the market place edgar lee masters

this we should of course expect from an adapter of existing ‘prophecies.’
the making of the new testament benjamin w. bacon

these reveal shakespeare undisguisedly as an adapter of plays by other hands.
a life of william shakespeare sidney lee

the prism and eye-piece are then rotated together in the adapter.
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 13, slice 2 various

perhaps in his case the gifts of imagination and invention were sometimes dulled because he was to such a great extent an adapter.
our stage and its critics “e.f.s.” of “the westminster gazette”

did the adapter of the fifth book sign his work in this indirect fashion?
gargantua and pantagruel, complete. francois rabelais

i jot down a rough idea of my notion in dramatic form for the consideration of the adapter of the piece, mr. robert buchanan.
punch, or the london charivari, vol. 98, january 25th, 1890 various

the author of these pieces is no mere translator, but an adapter who weaves other matter into his free imitation of his originals.
selections from early middle english 1130-1250: part ii: notes various

n.

1801, agent noun from adapt. electrical engineering sense from 1907.

adapter a·dapt·er or a·dap·tor (ə-dāp’tər)
n.

one that adapts.

a connecting part that joins two pieces of apparatus.

a converter of electric current to a desired form.