Definition
Pre-defined routes loaded into the air traffic control computer system that are used by controllers to issue clearances quickly and consistently. They are tailored to the airspace and traffic flows of a specific ATC facility, and may be either flight-plan routes (filed by the pilot and accepted by the system) or strategic routes (assigned by the controller as part of traffic management).
Plain English
Standard routes that ATC has already programmed into their computers for a particular area, so controllers can hand them to pilots without having to build a route from scratch each time.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA glossary material and in discussions of how air traffic control computers process flight plans and clearances.
Derivation
Adapted here means 'adjusted to fit a particular place.' These routes are adapted to the specific airspace, traffic patterns, and procedures of one ATC facility, rather than being generic.
Why Pilots Care
An adapted route changes your expected time, fuel burn, and navigation, so you must update your flight planning and brief any passengers or crew.
Intuition Check
“Adapted” does not mean the route has been specially changed for your airplane. Here it means the route is already set up in the air traffic control computer system.
Example Sentence 1
Center cleared the flight via an adapted route that took it slightly north of the filed track to fit the day's traffic flow.
Example Sentence 2
The helicopter operator filed an adapted route listed in the Chart Supplement for the downtown corridor.