'adoptively' originates from the Latin word 'adoptivus', where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'optare' meant 'to choose'.

'adoptivus' transformed into the Old French word 'adoptif', and eventually became the modern English word 'adoptive', with 'adoptively' as its adverbial form.

Initially, it meant 'to choose or take as one's own', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.