sortie

Where does the word "sortie" come from? It comes from Latin surgere, passing through French before entering English (1778-1918).

Sortie’s story begins in Latin: surgere meant “to rise, get up.” Literally 'to rise up', from sub- 'up from below' and regere 'to guide'. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as sortir. The feminine past participle was nominalized for troops rushing out of a besieged position. It reached English by 1778-1918 as sortie. Kept its siege-warfare sense, then in the First World War was extended to a single flight by a military aircraft. Today, sortie means an attacking or reconnaissance flight by a single military aircraft.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient surgere "to rise, get up", literally 'to rise up', from sub- 'up from below' and regere 'to guide'.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1500s sortir "a going out; an attack by the besieged on besiegers", the feminine past participle was nominalized for troops rushing out of a besieged position.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1778-1918 sortie "a mission flown by one military aircraft", kept its siege-warfare sense, then in the First World War was extended to a single flight by a military aircraft.