The English adjective adept originates from the classical Latin adjective adeptus, to describe a person who has obtained knowledge of alchemy, magic and the occult.
The verb to adapt would appear superficially to have a quite different etymology, deriving from the Latin verb adaptāre. However in the description of the etymology the OED says 'to perhaps compare adept'
So what is the link between adept, adapt, adopt etc.? Is there a Latin scholar out there who understands this?
Etymology: < adapt v. or its etymon classical Latin adaptāre, by analogy with adjectives derived from Latin past participle stems which were identical to the verb stem, as e.g. content adj.2, distract adj., erect adj.; perhaps compare also adept adj. The past participle of classical Latin adaptāre is in fact adaptātus. Compare post-classical Latin adaptus (7th cent.; rare). Similar motivation may have determined the earlier formations adaption n., adaptly adv., adaptness n.; compare also adapted adj. (Oxford English Dictionary)