sors (noun F) : (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), 2. sero; cf.: fors, fero, any thing used to determine chances.
* 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; Cic. 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.
* Transf.
* 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,Cic. 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.
* 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.
* 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.).
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* A rank, class, order (late Lat.): ex turbā imae sortis,Amm. 14, 6, 25.