ADOPT'ER, noun 1. One who adopts. 2. In chimistry, a large round receiver, with two necks, diametrically opposite to each other, one of which admits the neck of a retort, and the other is joined to another receiver. It is used in distillations, to give more space to elastic vapors, or to increase the length of the neck of a retort.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI