sortĭor, ītus, 4, v. dep. n. and a. [sors].
I Neutr. , to cast or draw lots : coniciam sortes in sitellam et sortiar Tibi et Chalino, Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 34: cum praetores designati sortirentur et M. Metello obtigisset, ut is de pecuniis repetundis quaereret, drew lots for the judges , appointed the judges by lot , Cic. Verr. 1, 8, 21; Quint. 3, 10, 1: consules comparare inter se aut sortiri jussi, to draw lots for the provinces, Liv. 38, 35, 9: sortiti nocte singuli per ordinem intrārunt, Quint. 4, 2, 72: dum legiones de ordine agminis sortiuntur, Tac. H. 2, 41: de altero consulatu, Suet. Claud. 7.
II —Hence, Sor-tĭentes , The Lot-drawers (a transl. of the Gr. Κληρούμενοι), the name of a comedy by Diphilus, Plaut. Cas. prol. 32.—
II Act. , to draw or cast lots for , to fix , assign , or appoint by lot , to allot; also esp. in the perfect tenses, to obtain or receive by lot (freq. and class.).
α With acc.: tribus, Cic. Agr. 2, 8, 21: provinciam, id. Fam. 1, 9, 25: provincias, id. Att. 1, 13, 5: duas Gallias, id. ib. 1, 19, 2: ut consules inter se provincias compararent sortirenturve, Liv. 42, 31: judices, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 17, § 42; 2, 2, 18, § 44: judices per praetorem urbanum, id. Q. Fr. 2, 1, 2: aliquos ad ignominiam, id. Clu. 46, 129: dicas, id. Verr. 2, 2, 17, § 42 fin. : nec regna vini sortiere talis, Hor. C. 1, 4, 18: aequā lege Necessitas Sortitur insignes et imos, decides the fate of , etc., id. ib. 3, 1, 15: peregrinam (provinciam) sortitus est, Liv. 39, 45: ex praeturā ulteriorem sortitus Hispaniam, Suet. Caes. 18; Plin. Ep. 6, 22 fin. —
β With rel.-clause : ut P. Furius et Cn. Servilius inter se sortirentur, uter citeriorem Hispaniam obtineret, Liv. 42, 4, 2: consules sortiti, uter dedicaret, id. 2, 8, 6; 24, 10, 2: uter patriā decederet, Vell. 1, 1, 4: sortiri, quid loquare, Cic. N. D. 1, 35, 98: num sortiuntur inter se, quae declinet, quae non? id. Fat. 20, 46.—
B Transf. (mostly poet. and not ante-Aug.).
1 To share , divide , distribute : pariter laborem Sortiti, shared the labor , Verg. A. 8, 445: vices, id. ib. 3, 634: periculum, id. ib. 9, 174.—
2 To choose , select : subolem armento sortire quot annis, Verg. G. 3, 71: fortunam (i.e. locum) oculis, id. A. 12, 920: matrimonium, Just. 26, 3, 8.—
3 In gen., to obtain , receive a thing (mostly in the tempp. perff.; not ante-Aug.): Tectosagi mediterranea Asiae sortiti sunt, Liv. 38, 16: si emancipatus uxore ducta filium fuerit sortitus, Dig. 37, 4, 3, § 5: gens Claudia regnum in plebem sortita, Liv. 3, 58: amicum, Hor. S. 1, 6, 53; 2, 6, 94; id. A. P. 92: si Maeonium vatem sortita fuisses, Ov. Tr. 1, 6, 21; id. M. 2, 241; 3, 124; 11, 758; Suet. Aug. 99 al.: quidam sortiti metuentem sabbata patrem, Juv. 14, 96: venerabile ingenium, id. 15, 144: fata tam tristia, Sen. Phoen. 245: reliqua rerum tuarum post te alium atque alium dominum sortientur, Plin. Ep. 1, 3, 4 Döring ad loc.— Pass. part. sortitus, v. sortio fin. — Adv.: sortītō , by lot : sacerdotem sortito capere, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 51, § 126; S. C. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 8, 8; Suet. Aug. 30; 47.— Transf., by fate , by destiny (= sorte, or lege naturae): tibi sortito id obtigit, Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 25; Hor. Epod. 4, 1.