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Where does the word "sort" come from? It comes from Latin sors, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "sort" come from? It comes from Latin sors, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Sort’s story begins in Latin: sors meant “lot, fortune.” The root of 'sorcerer', one who casts lots. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as sorte. What fortune allotted you, then your kind. It reached English by 1300s as sort. 'sort out' dates from the 1500s. Today, sort means a category of things; to arrange.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient sors "lot, fortune", the root of 'sorcerer', one who casts lots.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval sorte "kind, class", what fortune allotted you, then your kind.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s sort "kind", 'sort out' dates from the 1500s.