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.
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. —
II Transf.
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. —
B A lot , share , the duty assigned by lot , esp. of the praetors, 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.—
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.).—
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.—
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.—
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. 243; 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.—
E A rank , class , order (late Lat.): ex turbā imae sortis, Amm. 14, 6, 25.