sort
pronunciation
How to pronounce sort in British English:
UK [sɔːt]
How to pronounce sort in American English:
US [sɔːrt]
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- Noun:
- a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
- an approximate definition or example
- a person of a particular character or nature
- an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion
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- Verb:
- examine in order to test suitability
- arrange or order by classes or categories
Word Origin
- sort
- sort: [14] Latin sors originally denoted a ‘piece of wood used for drawing lots’ (it is the source of English sorcerer). It later developed metaphorically into ‘that which is allotted to one by fate’, and hence one’s ‘fortune’ or ‘condition’, and by the time it had turned into *sorta, in the post-Latin precursor of the Romance languages, its meaning had evolved further to ‘rank, class, order’. It was this sense that reached English, via Old French sorte. The notion of ‘arranging into classes’ underlies the verb sort, and also the derived assort [15]. From the same source comes consort [15].=> assort, consort, sorcerer
- sort (n.)
- late 14c., "group of people, animals, etc.; kind or variety of person or animal," from Old French sorte "class, kind," from Latin sortem (nominative sors) "lot; fate, destiny; share, portion; rank, category; sex, class, oracular response, prophecy," from PIE root *ser- (3) "to line up" (cognates: Latin serere "to arrange, attach, join;" see series). The sense evolution in Vulgar Latin is from "what is allotted to one by fate," to "fortune, condition," to "rank, class, order." Later (mid-15c.) "group, class, or category of items; kind or variety of thing; pattern, design." Out of sorts "not in usual good condition" is attested from 1620s, with literal sense of "out of stock."
- sort (v.)
- mid-14c., "to arrange according to type or quality," from Old French sortir "allot, sort, assort," from Latin sortiri "draw lots, divide, choose," from sors (see sort (n.)). In some senses, the verb is a shortened form of assort.
Example
- 1. Is this sort of integration a realistic prospect ?
- 2. France is the leader in this sort of surveillance .
- 3. The first way is to sort by color .
- 4. What sort of demand curve is that ?
- 5. What sort of information has been leaked via wikileaks ?