osvojit

Osvojit is a verb used in Czech and Slovak with the core meanings of adopting or acquiring something for oneself. The primary sense is to adopt someone into one’s family, as in adopting a child, but the verb is also widely used to describe acquiring skills, habits, or knowledge, i.e., making something one's own. For example, in Czech one may say osvojit si nové dovednosti to indicate mastering new skills, or osvojit si dítě to mean adopting a child. In Slovak, the corresponding verb is osvojiť (infinitive) and shares the same general range of meanings.

Etymology and meaning development derive from the combination of a root related to ownership or belonging (svoj, own) with a prefix that conveys completion or making something into one’s own. The result is a word that expresses the idea of turning something external into an element that is effectively part of the person or the family.

Aspect and usage notes: osvojit is a perfective verb, typically referring to a completed act or a definite acquisition, such as the successful adoption of a child or the full adoption of a habit. Its imperfective counterparts in Czech and Slovak are formed with the related imperfective verbs osvojovat (Czech) or osvojiť (Slovak, as the imperfective form is osvojiť) when describing ongoing or repeated processes, such as gradually adopting new practices.

See also: adoption (child adoption), acquire, absorb, learn.