I. ˈsȯrt noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, fate, lot, characteristic, from Latin sort-, sors lot, share, category — more at series
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a group set up on the basis of any characteristic in common : class , kind
b. : one approximating the character or qualities of another
a sort of latter-day Abe Lincoln
c. : person , individual
he's not a bad sort
2. archaic : group , company
3.
a. archaic : method or manner of acting : way , manner
b. : character , nature
people of an evil sort
4.
a. : a letter or character that is one element of a font
b. : a character or piece of type that is not part of a regular font
5. : an instance of sorting
a numeric sort of a data file
Synonyms: see type
•
- after a sort
- all sorts of
- of sorts
- out of sorts
II. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to put in a certain place or rank according to kind, class, or nature
sort apples
sort mail
b. : to arrange according to characteristics : classify — usually used with out
sort out colors
2. chiefly Scottish : to put to rights : put in order
3.
a. : to examine in order to clarify — used with out
sort ing out his problems
b. : to free of confusion : clarify — used with out
waited until things sort ed themselves out
intransitive verb
1. : to join or associate with others especially of the same kind
sort with thieves
2. : agree , harmonize
his benign view sort s badly with reality — Henry Trewhitt
3. : search
sort through some old papers
• sort·able ˈsȯr-tə-bəl adjective
• sort·er noun