maladapt

M3A1L1A1D2A1P3T1

verb

To adapt badly; to exhibit maladaptation.

OriginEnglish adapt ← Middle English *adapten ← Latin adaptō →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

verbmaladapt (third-person singular simple present maladapts, present participle maladapting, simple past and past participle maladapted)

present singular third person maladapts · participle present maladapting · participle past maladapted · past maladapted

  1. intransitiveTo adapt badly; to exhibit maladaptation.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)molos?
  3. Proto-Italic*malos
  4. Latinmalus
  5. Latinmale
  6. Old Frenchmal-
  7. Englishmal-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  9. Proto-Italic*ad
  10. Proto-Italic*ad-
  11. Latinad-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ptós
  14. Proto-Italic*aptos
  15. Latinaptus
  16. Proto-Indo-European[Term?]
  17. Proto-Italic*apjō
  18. Latinapiō
  19. Latinaptō
  20. Latinadaptō
  21. Middle English*adapten
  22. Englishadapt
  23. Englishmaladapt

From mal- + adapt.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

maladapt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maladapt

MLA

“maladapt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maladapt. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maladapt,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maladapt.

Source: maladapt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.