Lewis & Short

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sors, tis (nom. sortis, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 28; abl. sorti. C. I. L. 198, 54; 200, 16; Plaut. Cas. 2, 7, 5; Liv. 4, 37, 6; 28, 45, 11; 29, 20, 4; cf. Neue, Formenl. 1, 241; but sorti is dat., Verg. G. 4, 165 Forbig. ad loc.; Sil. 7, 3, 65), f. [2. sero; cf.: fors, fero], any thing used to determine chances.

  1. I. Lit., a lot: aut populna sors aut abiegna, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 32: coniciam sortes in sitellam, id. ib. 2, 5, 34 sq.: tot in hydriam sortes conicerentur, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 51, § 127: ponere in sitellam, Liv. 41, 18, 8; and simply conicere, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 34 sq.; Cic. Lig. 7, 21: deicere, Caes. B. C. 1, 6 fin.; Verg. A. 5, 490; cf.: cum dejecta in id sors esset, lots were cast for it, Liv. 21, 42: miscere, Cic. Div. 2, 41, 86: ducere, id. ib. 2, 41, 86; id. Verr. 2, 4, 64, § 143: cum de consularibus mea prima sors exisset, id. Att. 1, 19, 3: ut cujusque sors exciderat, Liv. 21, 42, 3: sortem in sitellam latam, id. 41, 18, 8 Weissenb.: et Caere sortes extenuatas (creditum est), as an omen of ill, id. 21, 62, 5 and 8: sortes suā sponte adtenuatas, id. 22, 1, 11.
    Of chances or tickets in a lottery, Suet. Aug. 75 fin.; Lampr. Heliog. 21 fin.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. Abstr., a casting or drawing of lots, decision by lot, lot: quaestor quem sors dedit, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3, § 11: res revocatur ad sortem, id. Verr. 2, 2, 51, § 127: sorti sum victus, Plaut. Cas. 2, 7, 5: ei sorte provincia Sicilia obvenit, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 6, § 17; cf.: cui Sicilia provincia sorte evenisset, Liv. 29, 20; for which: cui ea provincia sorti evenit, id. 4, 37, 6: Q. Caecilio sorte evenit, ut in Bruttiis adversum Hannibalem bellum gereret, id. 28, 45, 11: sorte ductus, Cic. Rep. 1, 34, 51; Sall. Fragm. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 2, 201: sorte ducti e primoribus civitatis unus et viginti, Tac. A. 1, 54; 13, 29: sorte in provinciam proficisci, S. C. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 8, 8: sorte agros legionibus assignare, Brut. ib., 11, 20, 3 et saep.: de se ter sortibus consultum dicebat, Caes. B. G. 1, 53 fin.: jubet extra sortem Theomnastum renuntiari, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 51, § 127: extra sortem agrum Campanum dividere, Suet. Caes. 20.
    2. B. A lot, share, the duty assigned by lot, esp. of the prætors, who divided by lot the duties of their office: praetores, Q. Fulvius Flaccus urbanam, M. Valerius Laevinus peregrinam sortem in juris dictione habuit, Liv. 23, 30, 18; 22, 35, 5; cf.: urbana, peregrina (sc. sors), id. 27, 36, 10; 28, 10, 9 al.: urbana et peregrina (provinciae), quae duorum ante sors fuerat, id. 25, 3, 2; 24, 44, 2; cf. id. 35, 41, 6: comitia suae sortis esse, i.e. had by lot been assigned to him, id. 35, 6, 2; hence, numquam ex urbe afuit nisi sorte, i.e. on official duty, Cic. Planc. 27, 67.
    3. C. In gen., an oracular response (which was often written on a little tablet or lot), a prophecy (cf. responsum): cum (Spartiatae) oraculum ab Jove Dodonaeo petivissent legatique illud, in quo inerant sortes, collocavissent: simia et sortis ipsas et cetera quae erant ad sortem parata, disturbavit, Cic. Div. 1, 34, 76: ut interpres egeat interprete et sors ipsa ad sortis referenda sit, id. ib. 2, 56, 115: Italiam Lyciae jussere capessere sortes, i.e. the oracles of the Lycian Apollo, Verg. A. 4, 346; 4, 377; so, Phoebeae, Ov. M. 3, 130: faticinae, id. ib. 15, 436: sacrae, id. ib. 1, 368; 11, 412: edita oraculo, Curt. 3, 1, 16; 5, 4, 11; 6, 9, 18; Val. Max. 1, 6, 3: neque responsa sortium ulli alii committere ausus, Liv. 1, 56: conjecturam postulat, ut se edoceret, Quo sese vertant tantae sortes somniūm, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 21, 42 (Trag. v. 64 Vahl.).
      1. 2. In partic., oracular sayings, verses, or sentences at the opening of a book, selected for the purpose: sortes Vergilii or Vergilianae, Lampr. Alex. Sev. 14, 5; Spart. Had. 2, 8: sacrae, Tib. 1, 3, 11: sanctorum, Isid. Orig. 8, 9, 28: sortes tollere, Tib. 1. 1.: ducere, Juv. 6, 583: de paginis poëtae cujusdam sortem consulere, Aug. Conf. 4, 3: de paginis evangelicis sortes legere, id. Ep. 119.
    4. D. In gen., like the Engl. lot, for fate, destiny, chance, fortune, condition, share, part (esp. freq. after the Aug. per.; cf. fors, casus, fortuna): nescia mens hominum fati sortisque futurae, Verg. A. 10, 501: ferrea sors vitae, Ov. Tr. 5, 3, 28: vires ultra sortemque senectae, Verg. A. 6, 114: iniqua, id. ib. 6, 332; Liv. 38, 23: qui fit, ut nemo, quam sibi sortem Seu ratio dederit seu fors objecerit, illa Contentus vivat, Hor. S. 1, 1, 1: sperat infestis, metuit secundis Alteram sortem, id. C. 2, 10, 14: sors mea fuit irrequieta, Ov. M. 2, 386: sors querenda, Non celanda foret, id. ib. 3, 551: aliena, Liv. 21, 43, 2: sunt quibus ad portas cecidit custodia sorti, to whose lot, Verg. G. 4, 165; Sil. 7, 368: homines ultimae sortis, Suet. Aug. 19; cf.: non tuae sortis juvenem, of your rank or condition, Hor. C. 4, 11, 22: sors tua mortalis, Ov. M. 2, 56: nec cedit nisi sorte mihi, id. ib. 5, 529: dilectos inter sors prima sodales, id. Tr. 4, 5, 1: huic sortem concede priorem, id. A. A. 1, 581: quattuor ille quidem juvenes totidemque crearat Femineae sortis, i. e. of the female sex, id. M. 6, 680; so, feminea, id. ib. 13, 651: altera, id. ib. 9, 676; cf. id. ib. 3, 329: Saturni sors ego prima fui, i. e. the first child, id. F. 6, 30: suae sortis oblitus, Curt. 3, 2, 11: ultima, id. 9, 2, 6: nec pars nec sors in sermone isto, Vulg. Act. 8, 21.
      With gen.: cujus mali sors incidit Remis, Hirt. B. G. 8, 12, 3: incommodi, id. ib. 8, 1 fin.: nobis quoniam prima animi ingenique negata sors est, secundam ac mediam teneamus, Liv. 22, 29, 9: puer post avi mortem in nullam sortem bonorum natus (opp. omnium heredi bonorum), to no share of the property, id. 1, 34, 3: praedae mala sors, Ov. M. 13, 485: utrius vitae sortem legant, Just. 1, 6, 6: servitutis, id. 6, 5, 1.
      1. 2. In partic., in mercant. lang. (prop. fortune, money; hence), capital bearing interest, principal: et sors et fenus, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 122; 5, 2, 38; 3, 1, 34; 3, 1, 64; 3, 1, 70; 3, 1, 84; Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 35; Cic. Att. 6, 1, 3; Liv. 6, 14; 6, 15; Plin. praef. § 23; Mart. 5, 42, 3; Dig. 33, 2, 24; Inscr. Orell. 4405; cf. Varr. L. L. 6, § 65, and id. ib. 5, § 183 Müll.
    5. E. A rank, class, order (late Lat.): ex turbā imae sortis, Amm. 14, 6, 25.