adotivo

Adotivo is a Portuguese adjective meaning adoptive or adopted. It describes something derived from or related to adoption, usually in reference to people or relationships formed through legal adoption. The term agrees with gender and number: adotivo (masculine singular), adotiva (feminine singular), adotivos (masculine plural), adotivas (feminine plural). In common usage, it appears in phrases such as pai adotivo, mãe adotiva, filho adotivo, família adotiva, relação adotiva, status adotivo, and adoção (the noun). It is used primarily in legal, social, and familial contexts to distinguish adoptive from biological relationships. For example, uma família adotiva is an adoptive family, and um filho adotivo is an adopted child. The adjective can also be used metaphorically to describe adoptive affiliations or origins beyond family law.

Etymology: adotivo comes from Latin adoptivus, via Old Portuguese adoptivo, sharing cognates with Spanish adoptivo and Italian adottivo.

Related terms include adoção (the act of adopting), adotante (the person who adopts, i.e., adopter), and adotar (to adopt). The concept is central to discussions of family law, child welfare, and kinship studies in Portuguese-speaking contexts.

Note: Some contexts use the term as a broader descriptor for non-biological kinship bonds, while formal legal language may differentiate parente adotivo (adoptive relative) from other forms of guardianship.