sortition

[ sawr-tish-uh n ]
/ sɔrˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

the casting or drawing of lots.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sortition

1590–1600; < Latin sortītiōn- (stem of sortītiō), equivalent to sortīt(us) (past participle of sortīrī to draw lots, derivative of sors lot, portion; see sort, -ite2) + -iōn- -ion

Words nearby sortition

sortie, sortilege, sorting, sorting tracks, sorting yard, sortition, sorus, sos, sosa, sosatie, soseki
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sortition

British Dictionary definitions for sortition

sortition
/ (sɔːˈtɪʃən) /

noun

the act of casting lots

Word Origin for sortition

C16: from Latin sortitio, from sortiri to cast lots
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