English word origin

Etymology of sort

From Middle English sort, soort, sorte (cognate Dutch soort, German Sorte, Danish sort, Swedish sort), borrowed from Old French sorte (“class, kind”), from Latin sortem, accusative form of sors (“lot, fate, share, rank,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A general type. · Manner, way; form of being or acting. · Condition above the vulgar; rank. · A person evaluated in a certain way.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*ser- (bind)ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionsortenm
Cognate mentionsoortnl
Cognate mentionSortede
Cognate mentionsortda
Cognate mentionsortsv
Derivation mentionsortefro
Derivation mentionsortemla

This page abbreviates 9 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ser- (bind)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "sort"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English sort"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "soort"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch soort"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Sorte"
      },
      "expansion": "German Sorte"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "sort"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish sort"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "sort"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish sort"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "sorte",
        "4": "",
        "5": "class, kind"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French sorte (“class, kind”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sortem"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sortem"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sort",
      "sort#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "soort",
      "soort#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sorte",
      "sorte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "soort",
      "soort#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Sorte",
      "Sorte#German"
    ],
    [
      "sort",
      "sort#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "sort",
      "sort#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "sorte",
      "sorte#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "sortem",
      "sortem#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sors",
      "sors#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A general type.",
        "Manner, way; form of being or acting.",
        "Condition above the vulgar; rank.",
        "A person evaluated in a certain way."
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "obsolete",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To separate items into different categories according to certain criteria that determine their sorts. · To arrange into some sequence, usually numerically, alphabetically or chronologically. · To conjoin; to put together in distribution; to class. · To conform; to adapt; to accommodate.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English sorten, from Old French sortir (“to allot, sort”), from Latin sortīre (“draw lots, divide, choose”), from sors.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*ser- (bind)ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionsortenenm
Derivation mentionsortirfro · to allot, sort
Derivation mentionsortīrela · draw lots, divide, choose

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "root",
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "*ser- (bind)"
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      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "sorten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English sorten"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "sortir",
        "t": "to allot, sort"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French sortir (“to allot, sort”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sortīre",
        "t": "draw lots, divide, choose"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sortīre (“draw lots, divide, choose”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sorten",
      "sorten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sortir",
      "sortir#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "sortīre",
      "sortire#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sors",
      "sors#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To separate items into different categories according to certain criteria that determine their sorts.",
        "To arrange into some sequence, usually numerically, alphabetically or chronologically.",
        "To conjoin; to put together in distribution; to class.",
        "To conform; to adapt; to accommodate."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 6,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sort →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c29ydA