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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

He is styled the inventor of the velvet pile in tapestry, but it were better to call him the adaptor.
The Tapestry Book Helen Churchill Candee

The adaptor piece may have a face mould worked upon it to give a pilaster-like appearance if fancy so dictates.
Woodwork Joints William Fairham

The artist and the adaptor have still hardly begun to work with the endless variety of substances now at their disposal.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind Herbert George Wells

The adaptor deserves great credit for altering as little as possible.
A Boswell of Baghdad E. V. Lucas

We can do some of these things by apparatus designed by the brain of man—and man really is but an imitator and adaptor of Nature.
Clairvoyance and Occult Powers Swami Panchadasi

noun
a person or thing that adapts
any device for connecting two parts, esp ones that are of different sizes or have different mating fitments

a plug used to connect an electrical device to a mains supply when they have different types of terminals
a device used to connect several electrical appliances to a single mains socket

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.

tool
(Automatic DAta Parallelism TranslatOR) A source to source transformation tool that transforms data parallel programs written in Fortran 77 with array extensions, parallel loops, and layout directives to parallel programs with explicit message passing. ADAPTOR generates Fortran 77 host and node programs with message passing. The new generated source codes have to be compiled by the compiler of the parallel computer.
Version 1.0 runs on CM-5, iPCS/860, Meiko CS1/CS2, KSR 1, SGI, Alliant or a network of Suns or RS/6000s.
(ftp://ftp.gmd.de/gmd/adaptor/adp_1.0.tar.Z).
[Connection with Thomas Brandes and GMD?]
(1993-06-01)