The Collaborative International Dictionary
co-optation \co-optation\, cooptation \co`["o]p*ta"tion\, n. [L. co["o]ptatio.] The act of choosing; selection; choice. [Obs.]
The first election and co["o]ptation of a friend.
--Howell.
2. the selection of a new member (usually by a vote of the existing membership). See co-opt[2].
Syn: co-option.
3. the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent).
Syn: co-option.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1530s, "election to fill a vacancy," from Latin cooptationem (nominative cooptatio) "election," noun of action from past participle stem of cooptare (see co-opt). Related: Cooptative.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A co-opting: a commandeering, appropriation, or take over. 2 A co-opting: an absorption or assimilation.
Wikipedia
Cooptation is a cognitive-communicative operation whereby a piece of text, such as a clause, a phrase, a word, or any other unit, is inserted in a sentence. In the framework of Discourse Grammar, cooptation is understood as leading to the transfer of linguistic material from the domain of Sentence Grammar to that of Thetical Grammar.
Usage examples of "cooptation".
Pleasantville's shallow cooptation of a very painful symbol of this country's racist past seemed inappropriate here, especially since the film never does deal with the issue of race or ethnicity.