Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of adjusting or the state of being adjusted.
  • noun A means of adjusting.
  • noun Settlement of a debt or claim.
  • noun A modification, fluctuation, or correction.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In an exacter sense than 2, the operation of modifying the relations between a set of things or other objects so as to make these relations conform to some requirement, especially so as to bring them into conformity with relations between elements of a plan or purpose.
  • noun Specifically, the modification of a set of statements so as to bring them into harmony with one another and with some proposition treated as absolutely true.
  • noun In biology, a change which is brought about in a living being by its own activity and is not transmitted to descendants, as contrasted with a change which is congenital and hereditary; an acquired character.
  • noun The term is used in two senses: for methods in which the observer himself varies a given stimulus until it appears equal to a second, constant stimulus, for example, Fechner's method of average error (see method);
  • noun for methods in which a variable stimulus is adjusted, whether by experimenter or observer, to the required relation to a constant stimulus, for example, Wundt's method of minimal changes (see method).
  • noun The act of adjusting; a making fit or conformable; the act of adapting to a given purpose; orderly regulation or arrangement: as, the adjustment of the parts of a watch.
  • noun The state of being adjusted; a condition of adaptation; orderly relation of parts or elements.
  • noun That which serves to adjust or adapt one thing to another or to a particular service: as, the adjustments of constitutional government, of a microscope, a timepiece, etc.
  • noun The act of settling or arranging, as a difference or dispute; settlement; arrangement.
  • noun In marine insurance, the act of settling and ascertaining the amount of indemnity which the party insured is entitled to receive under the policy after all proper allowances and deductions have been made, and the settling of the proportion of that indemnity which each underwriter is liable to bear.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of adjusting, or condition of being adjusted; act of bringing into proper relations; regulation.
  • noun (Law) Settlement of claims; an equitable arrangement of conflicting claims, as in set-off, contribution, exoneration, subrogation, and marshaling.
  • noun The operation of bringing all the parts of an instrument, as a microscope or telescope, into their proper relative position for use; the condition of being thus adjusted

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a small change; a minor correction; a modification
  • noun The behavioural process of balancing conflicting needs, or needs against obstacles in the environment.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an amount added or deducted on the basis of qualifying circumstances
  • noun the act of adjusting something to match a standard
  • noun the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions)
  • noun making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances
  • noun the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

adjust +‎ -ment (But see also French ajustement).

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