co-optation

co-opt  (k-pt, kpt)

tr.v. co-opt·ed, co-opt·ing, co-opts

1. To elect as a fellow member of a group.

2. To appoint summarily.

3. To take or assume for one's own use; appropriate: co-opted the criticism by embracing it.

4. To neutralize or win over (an independent minority, for example) through assimilation into an established group or culture: co-opt rebels by giving them positions of authority.

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[Latin cooptre : co-, co- + optre, to choose.]

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co-op·tation n.

co-opta·tive (-t-tv) adj.

co-option (-pshn) n.

co-optive adj.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	co-optation - the selection of a new member (usually by a vote of the existing membership) co-option election - the act of selecting someone or something; the exercise of deliberate choice; "her election of medicine as a profession"
	2.	co-optation - the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent) co-option appointment, designation, naming, assignment - the act of putting a person into a non-elective position; "the appointment had to be approved by the whole committee"