Etymologically
Log in

sortito

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word sortito

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (sors)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin sortior
French sortir
Latin sortitio
Latin sortito

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [sɔrˈtiː.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [sorˈtiː.to][1]

Forms

sortītō (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin sortior (“to cast lots”): the ablative of its perfect participle ⟨sortītus⟩, used as an adverb.[2][3][1] The verb is formed from sors (“lot”),[4] which de Vaan traces to Proto-Italic *sorti- (“joining, joint”) and Proto-Indo-European *sr-ti- (“joining, joint”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler and the OLD record it first in Plautus,[5][2] who has mihi ut sortito eveniat, “that it may fall to me by lot”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It means by lot, after drawing lots: Cicero has tunc sortito coguntur dicere, “then they are made to speak in an order drawn by lot”, and a decree of the Senate quoted in a letter of Caelius has eos sortito in provincias mitti placere, “that they be sent to the provinces by lot”.[2][3] Suetonius says that Augustus left the other provinces to proconsuls chosen by lot.[2] It also means by destiny or by the law of nature, as in Plautus and in Horace's lupis et agnis quanta sortito obtigit, “as much as has fallen by nature to wolves and lambs”.[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it both of a lot and of fate.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of an order drawn by lot.[2][5]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of what nature has allotted.[2][5]
  • c. 75–c. 150 AD – Suetonius uses it of provinces assigned by lot.[2][5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. By lot, after drawing lots.[2][3]
  2. By destiny, by the law of nature.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Sortito.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/sortito. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·