sortilege

[ sawr-tl-ij ]
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noun
  1. the drawing of lots for divination; divination by lot.

  2. sorcery; magic.

Origin of sortilege

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin sortilegium, for Latin sortilegus, equivalent to sort- (stem of sors) lot, chance + -i--i- + -legus (derivative of legere to read, count, choose out); see -ium

Other words from sortilege

  • sor·ti·leg·ic [sawr-tl-ej-ik], /ˌsɔr tlˈɛdʒ ɪk/, sor·ti·le·gious [sawr-tl-ee-juhs], /ˌsɔr tlˈi dʒəs/, adjective

Words Nearby sortilege

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How to use sortilege in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sortilege

sortilege

/ (ˈsɔːtɪlɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. the act or practice of divination by drawing lots

  2. magic or sorcery

Origin of sortilege

1
C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin sortilegium, from Latin sortilegus a soothsayer, from sors fate + legere to select

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012