Chapter 72

Soot"y (?), a. [Compar Sootier (?); superl. Sootiest.] [AS. s&?;tig. See Soot.] 1. Of or pertaining to soot; producing soot; soiled by soot. "Fire of sooty coal." Milton.

2. Having a dark brown or black color like soot; fuliginous; dusky; dark. "The grisly legions that troop under the sooty flag of Acheron." Milton.

Sooty albatross (Zoöl.), an albatross (Phœbetria fuliginosa) found chiefly in the Pacific Ocean; -- called also nellie. -- Sooty tern (Zoöl.), a tern (Sterna fuliginosa) found chiefly in tropical seas.

Soot"y, v. t. To black or foul with soot. [R.]

Sootied with noisome smoke.

Chapman.

Sop (?), n. [OE. sop, soppe; akin to AS. s&?;pan to sup, to sip, to drink, D. sop sop, G. suppe soup, Icel. soppa sop. See Sup, v. t., and cf. Soup.] 1. Anything steeped, or dipped and softened, in any liquid; especially, something dipped in broth or liquid food, and intended to be eaten.

He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.

John xiii. 26.

Sops in wine, quantity, inebriate more than wine itself.

Bacon.

The bounded waters Should lift their bosoms higher than the shores, And make a sop of all this solid globe.

Shak.

2. Anything given to pacify; -- so called from the sop given to Cerberus, as related in mythology.

All nature is cured with a sop.

L'Estrange.

3. A thing of little or no value. [Obs.] P. Plowman.

Sops in wine (Bot.), an old name of the clove pink, alluding to its having been used to flavor wine.

Garlands of roses and sops in wine.

Spenser.

-- Sops of wine (Bot.), an old European variety of apple, of a yellow and red color, shading to deep red; -- called also sopsavine, and red shropsavine.

Sop, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sopped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sopping.] To steep or dip in any liquid.

Sope (?), n. See Soap. [Obs.]

Soph (?), n. (Eng. Univ.) A contraction of Soph ister. [Colloq.]

Soph, n. (Amer. Colleges) A contraction of Sophomore. [Colloq.]

So"phi (?), n.; pl. Sophis (&?;). See Sufi.

{ Soph"ic (?), Soph"ic*al (?) }, a. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; wise, &?; wisdom.] Teaching wisdom. [Obs.] S. Harris.

So*phime" (? or ?), n. [OF. soffime, sophisme.] Sophism. [Obs.]

I trow ye study aboute some sophime.

Chaucer.

Soph"ism (?), n. [F. sophisme, L. sophisma, fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to make wise, &?; to be become wise, to play the sophist, fr. &?; wise.] The doctrine or mode of reasoning practiced by a sophist; hence, any fallacy designed to deceive.

When a false argument puts on the appearance of a true one, then it is properly called a sophism, or "fallacy".

I. Watts.

Let us first rid ourselves of sophisms, those of depraved men, and those of heartless philosophers.

I. Taylor.

Soph"ist, n. [F. sophiste, L. sophistes, fr. Gr. &?;. See Sophism.] 1. One of a class of men who taught eloquence, philosophy, and politics in ancient Greece; especially, one of those who, by their fallacious but plausible reasoning, puzzled inquirers after truth, weakened the faith of the people, and drew upon themselves general hatred and contempt.

Many of the Sophists doubdtless card not for truth or morality, and merely professed to teach how to make the worse appear the better reason; but there scems no reason to hold that they were a special class, teaching special opinions; even Socrates and Plato were sometimes styled Sophists.

Liddell & Scott.

2. Hence, an impostor in argument; a captious or fallacious reasoner.

Soph"ist*er (?), n. 1. A sophist. See Sophist. [Obs.] Hooker.

2. (Eng. Univ.) A student who is advanced beyond the first year of his residence.

The entire course at the university consists of three years and one term, during which the students have the titles of first- year men, or freshmen; second-year men or junior sophs or sophisters; third-year men, or senior sophs or sophisters; and, in the last term, questionists, with reference to the approaching examination. In the older American colleges, the junior and senior classes were originally called, and in some of them are still called, junior sophisters and senior sophisters.

Soph"ist*er (?), v. t. To maintain by sophistry, or by a fallacious argument. [Obs.] obham.

{ So*phis"tic (?), So*phis"tic*al }, a. [L. sophisticus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. sophistique.] Of or pertaining to a sophist; embodying sophistry; fallaciously subtile; not sound.

His argument . . . is altogether sophistical.

Macaulay.

-- So*phis"tic*al*ly, adv. -- So*phis"tic*al*ness, n.

So*phis"ti*cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sophisticated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sophisticating.] [LL. sophisticatus, p. p. of sophisticare to sophisticate.] To render worthless by admixture; to adulterate; to damage; to pervert; as, to sophisticate wine. Howell.

To sophisticate the understanding.

Southey.

Yet Butler professes to stick to plain facts, not to sophisticate, not to refine.

M. Arnold.

They purchase but sophisticated ware.

Dryden.

Syn. -- To adulterate; debase; corrupt; vitiate.

{ So*phis"ti*cate (?), So*phis"ti*ca`ted (?) }, a. Adulterated; not pure; not genuine.

So truth, while only one supplied the state, Grew scare and dear, and yet sophisticate.

Dryden.

So*phis`ti*ca"tion (?), n. [Cf. LL. sophisticatio, F. sophistication.] The act of sophisticating; adulteration; as, the sophistication of drugs. Boyle.

So*phis"ti*ca`tor (?), n. One who sophisticates.

Soph"ist*ry (?), n. [OE. sophistrie, OF. sophisterie.] 1. The art or process of reasoning; logic. [Obs.]

2. The practice of a sophist; fallacious reasoning; reasoning sound in appearance only.

The juggle of sophistry consists, for the most part, in usig a word in one sense in the premise, and in another sense in the conclusion.

Coleridge.

Syn. -- See Fallacy.

Soph"o*more (?), n. [Probably fr. soph or sophister + Gr. &?; foolish. The word was probably introduced into the United States at an early date, from the University of Cambridge, England. Among the cant terms at that university, as given in the Gradus ad Cantabrigiam, we find Soph- Mor as "the next distinctive appellation to Freshman," but the term has now almost ceased to be known at the English university from whence it came.] One belonging to the second of the four classes in an American college, or one next above a freshman. [Formerly written also sophimore.]

{ Soph`o*mor"ic (?), Soph`o*mor"ic*al (?) }, a. Of or pertaining to a sophomore; resembling a sophomore; hence, pretentious; inflated in style or manner; as, sophomoric affectation. [U. S.]

So*pho"ra (?), n. [Ar. &?;ufair.] (Bot.) (a) A genus of leguminous plants. (b) A tree (Sophora Japonica) of Eastern Asia, resembling the common locust; occasionally planted in the United States.

Soph"ta (?), n. See Softa.

So"pite (?), v. t. [L. sopitus, p. p. of sopire to put to sleep; akin to sopor a sleeping draught, a heavy sleep.] To lay asleep; to put to sleep; to quiet. [Obs.]

The king's declaration for the sopiting of all Arminian heresies.

Fuller.

So*pi"tion (?), n. The act of putting to sleep, or the state of being put to sleep; sleep. [Obs.]

Dementation and sopition of reason.

Sir T. Browne.

||So"por (?), n. [L.] (Med.) Profound sleep from which a person can be ||roused only with difficulty.

Sop"o*rate (?), v. t. [L. soporatus, p. p. or soporare to put to sleep, fr. sopor a heavy sleep.] To lay or put to sleep; to stupefy. [Obs.] Cudworth.

Sop`o*rif"er*ous (?), a. [L. soparifer; sopor a heavy sleep + ferere to bring.] Causing sleep; somniferous; soporific. "Soporiferous medicine." Swift.

--- Sop`o*rif"er*ous*ly, adv. -- Sop`o*rif"er*ous*ness, n.

Sop`o*rif"ic (?; 277), a. [L. sopor a heavy sleep (akin to somnus sleep) + facere to make. See Somnolent, Fact.] Causing sleep; tending to cause sleep; soporiferous; as, the soporific virtues of opium.

Syn. -- Somniferous; narcotic; opiate; anodyne.

Sop`o*rif"ic, n. A medicine, drug, plant, or other agent that has the quality of inducing sleep; a narcotic.

{ Sop"o*rose` (?), Sop"o*rous (?) }, a. [From Sopor; cf. L. soporus, fr. sopor a heavy sleep; F. soporeux.] Causing sleep; sleepy.

Sop"per (?), n. One who sops. Johnson.

Sop"py (?), a. Soaked or saturated with liquid or moisture; very wet or sloppy.

It [Yarmouth] looked rather spongy and soppy.

Dickens.

||So"pra (?), adv. [It., from L. supra above.] (Mus.) Above; before; ||over; upon.

So*pra"nist (?), n. (Mus.) A treble singer.

So*pra"no (?), n.; pl. E. Sopranos (#), It. Soprani (#). [It., fr. soprano superior, highest, fr. sopra above, L. supra. See Sovereign.] (Mus.) (a) The treble; the highest vocal register; the highest kind of female or boy's voice; the upper part in harmony for mixed voices. (b) A singer, commonly a woman, with a treble voice.

Sops"a*vine (?), n. See Sops of wine, under Sop.

<! p. 1373 !>

So"ra (?), n. (Zoöl.) A North American rail (Porzana Carolina) common in the Eastern United States. Its back is golden brown, varied with black and white, the front of the head and throat black, the breast and sides of the head and neck slate-colored. Called also American rail, Carolina rail, Carolina crake, common rail, sora rail, soree, meadow chicken, and orto.

King sora, the Florida gallinule.

Sor"ance (? or ?), n. Soreness. [Obs.]

Sorb (?), n.[L. sorbus the tree, sorbum the fruit; cf. F. sorbe. See Service tree.] (Bot.) (a) The wild service tree (Pyrus torminalis) of Europe; also, the rowan tree. (b) The fruit of these trees.

Sorb apple, the fruit of the sorb, or wild service tree. -- Sorb tree, the wild service tree.

Sor"bate (?), n. [Cf. F. sorbate. See Sorbic.] (Chem.) A salt of sorbic acid.

Sor`be*fa"cient (?), a. [L. sorbere to suck in, absorb + faciens, p. pr. of facere to make.] (Med.) Producing absorption. -- n. A medicine or substance which produces absorption.

Sorb"ent (?), n. [L. sorbens, p. pr. of sorbere to suck in, to absorb.] An absorbent. [R.]

Sor"bet (?), n. [F. sorbet or It. sorbetto or Sp. sorbete, from the same source as E. sherbet. See Sherbet.] A kind of beverage; sherbet. Smolett.

Sor"bic (?), a. [Cf. F. sorbique. See Sorb.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or obtained from, the rowan tree, or sorb; specifically, designating an acid, C&?;H&?;CO&?;H, of the acetylene series, found in the unripe berries of this tree, and extracted as a white crystalline substance.

Sor"bile (?), a. [L. sorbilis, fr. sorbere to suck in, to drink down.] Fit to be drunk or sipped. [Obs.]

Sor"bin (?), n. (Chem.) An unfermentable sugar, isomeric with glucose, found in the ripe berries of the rowan tree, or sorb, and extracted as a sweet white crystalline substance; -- called also mountain-ash sugar.

Sor"bite (?), n. [L. sorbus service tree.] (Chem.) A sugarlike substance, isomeric with mannite and dulcite, found with sorbin in the ripe berries of the sorb, and extracted as a sirup or a white crystalline substance. -- Sor*bit"ic (#), a.

Sor*bi"tion (?), n. [L. sorbitio.] The act of drinking or sipping. [Obs.]

Sor*bon"ic*al (?), a. Belonging to the Sorbonne or to a Sorbonist. Bale.

Sor"bon*ist (?), n. [F. sorboniste.] A doctor of the Sorbonne, or theological college, in the University of Paris, founded by Robert de Sorbon, a. d. 1252. It was suppressed in the Revolution of 1789.

Sor"cer*er (?), n. [Cf. F. sorcier. See Sorcery.] A conjurer; an enchanter; a magician. Bacon.

Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers.

Ex. vii. 11.

Sor"cer*ess, n. A female sorcerer.

Sor"cer*ing, n. Act or practice of using sorcery.

Sor"cer*ous (?), a. Of or pertaining to sorcery.

Sor"cer*y (?), n.; pl. Sorceries (#). [OE. sorcerie, OF. sorcerie, fr. OF. & F. sorcier a sorcerer, LL. sortiarius, fr. L. sors, sortis, a lot, decision by lot, fate, destiny. See Sort, n.] Divination by the assistance, or supposed assistance, of evil spirits, or the power of commanding evil spirits; magic; necromancy; witchcraft; enchantment.

Adder's wisdom I have learned, To fence my ear against thy sorceries.

Milton.

Sord (? or ?), n. See Sward. [R.] Milton.

||Sor"des (?), n. [L., fr. sordere to be dirty or foul.] Foul matter; ||excretion; dregs; filthy, useless, or rejected matter of any kind; ||specifically (Med.), the foul matter that collects on the teeth and ||tongue in low fevers and other conditions attended with great vital ||depression.

Sor"det (?), n. [See Sordine.] (Mus.) A sordine.

Sor"did (?), a. [L. sordidus, fr. sordere to be filthy or dirty; probably akin to E. swart: cf. F. sordide. See Swart, a.] 1. Filthy; foul; dirty. [Obs.]

A sordid god; down from his hoary chin A length of beard descends, uncombed, unclean.

Dryden.

2. Vile; base; gross; mean; as, vulgar, sordid mortals. "To scorn the sordid world." Milton.

3. Meanly avaricious; covetous; niggardly.

He may be old, And yet sordid, who refuses gold.

Sir J. Denham.

Sor*did"ly (?), n. Sordidness. [Obs.]

Sor"did*ly (?), adv. In a sordid manner.

Sor"did*ness, n. The quality or state of being sordid.

Sor"dine (? or ?; 277), n. [It. sordina, sordino, from sordo deaf, dull-sounding, L. surdus. See Surd.] (Mus.) See Damper, and 5th Mute.

Sore (?), a. [F. saure, sore, sor; faucon sor a sore falcon. See Sorrel, n.] Reddish brown; sorrel. [R.]

Sore falcon. (Zoöl.) See Sore, n., 1.

Sore, n. (Zoöl.) A young hawk or falcon in the first year.

2. (Zoöl.) A young buck in the fourth year. See the Note under Buck.

Sore, a. [Compar. Sorer (&?;); superl. Sorest.] [OE. sor, sar, AS. sr; akin to D. zeer, OS. & OHG. s&?;r, G. sehr very, Icel. srr, Sw. sår, Goth. sair pain. Cf. Sorry.] 1. Tender to the touch; susceptible of pain from pressure; inflamed; painful; -- said of the body or its parts; as, a sore hand.

2. Fig.: Sensitive; tender; easily pained, grieved, or vexed; very susceptible of irritation.

Malice and hatred are very fretting and vexatious, and apt to make our minds sore and uneasy.

Tillotson.

3. Severe; afflictive; distressing; as, a sore disease; sore evil or calamity. Shak.

4. Criminal; wrong; evil. [Obs.] Shak.

Sore throat (Med.), inflammation of the throat and tonsils; pharyngitis. See Cynanche. -- Malignant, Ulcerated or Putrid, sore throat. See Angina, and under Putrid.

Sore (?), n. [OE. sor, sar, AS. sr. See Sore, a.] 1. A place in an animal body where the skin and flesh are ruptured or bruised, so as to be tender or painful; a painful or diseased place, such as an ulcer or a boil.

The dogs came and licked his sores.

Luke xvi. 21.

2. Fig.: Grief; affliction; trouble; difficulty. Chaucer.

I see plainly where his sore lies.

Sir W. Scott.

Gold sore. (Med.) See under Gold, n.

Sore, adv. [AS. sre. See Sore, a.] 1. In a sore manner; with pain; grievously.

Thy hand presseth me sore.

Ps. xxxviii. 2.

2. Greatly; violently; deeply.

[Hannah] prayed unto the Lord and wept sore.

1 Sam. i. 10.

Sore sighed the knight, who this long sermon heard.

Dryden.

||So*re"di*a (?), n., pl. of Soredium.

So*re"di*ate (?), a. (Bot.) Sorediïferous.

{Sor`e*dif"er*ous (?), or So*re`di*if"er*ous (?) }, a. [Soredium + -ferous.] (Bot.) Bearing soredia; sorediate.

||So*re"di*um (?), n.; pl. Soredia (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a heap.] ||(Bot.) A patch of granular bodies on the surface of the thallus of ||lichens.

So"ree (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Sora.

Sore"head` (?), n. One who is disgruntled by a failure in politics, or the like. [Slang, U.S.]

Sore"hon (?), n. [Corrupted from sojourn, Scot. soirne, sorn.] Formerly, in Ireland, a kind of servile tenure which subjected the tenant to maintain his chieftain gratuitously whenever he wished to indulge in a revel. Spenser.

Sor"el (?), n. [A diminutive. See Sore reddish brown.] 1. (Zoöl.) A young buck in the third year. See the Note under Buck. Shak.

2. A yellowish or reddish brown color; sorrel.

Sore"ly (?), adv. In a sore manner; grievously; painfully; as, to be sorely afflicted.

||So*re"ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a heap.] (Bot.) A heap of carpels ||belonging to one flower.

Sore"ness (?), n. The quality or state of being sore; tenderness; painfull; as, the soreness of a wound; the soreness of an affliction.

||So"rex (?), n. [L., a shrew.] (Zoöl.) A genus of small Insectivora, ||including the common shrews.

Sor"ghe (sôr"g), n. (Zoöl.) The three-bearded rockling, or whistlefish. [Prov. Eng.]

Sor"ghum (?), n. [NL., probably of Chinese origin.] (Bot.) (a) A genus of grasses, properly limited to two species, Sorghum Halepense, the Arabian millet, or Johnson grass (see Johnson grass), and S. vulgare, the Indian millet (see Indian millet, under Indian). (b) A variety of Sorghum vulgare, grown for its saccharine juice; the Chinese sugar cane.

Sor"go (?), n. [Cf. It. sorgo. See Sorghum.] (Bot.) Indian millet and its varieties. See Sorghum.

||So"ri (?), n., pl. of Sorus.

So"ri*cine (?), a. [L. sorricinus, fr. sorex a shrew.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Shrew family (Soricidæ); like a shrew in form or habits; as, the soricine bat (Glossophaga soricina).

So*ri"tes (?), n. [L., from Gr. swrei`ths (sc. syllogismo`s), properly, heaped up (hence, a heap of syllogisms), fr. swro`s a heap.] (Logic) An abridged form of stating of syllogisms in a series of propositions so arranged that the predicate of each one that precedes forms the subject of each one that follows, and the conclusion unites the subject of the first proposition with the predicate of the last proposition, as in following example; --

The soul is a thinking agent; A thinking agent can not be severed into parts; That which can not be severed can not be destroyed; Therefore the soul can not be destroyed.

When the series is arranged in the reverse order, it is called the Goclenian sorites, from Goclenius, a philosopher of the sixteenth century.

Destructive sorities. See under Destructive.

So"rit"ic*al, a. Of or pertaining to a sorites; resembling a sorites.

Sorn (?), v. i. [See Sorehon.] To obtrude one's self on another for bed and board. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Sorn"er (?), n. One who obtrudes himself on another for bed and board. [Scot.] De Quncey.

So*ro"ral (?), a. [L. soror sister: cf. F. sororal.] Relating to a sister; sisterly. [R.]

So*ror"i*cide (?; 277), n. [L. sororocida, and sororicidium; soror a sister + caedere to kill.] The murder of one's sister; also, one who murders or kills one's own sister. Johnson.

So*ro"rize (? or ?), v. i. [L. soror, sororis, a sister.] To associate, or hold fellowship, as sisters; to have sisterly feelings; -- analogous to fraternize. [Recent & R.]

So*ro"sis (?), n. [NL. See Sororize.] A woman's club; an association of women. [U. S.]

||So*ro"sis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a heap.] (Bot.) A fleshy fruit formed ||by the consolidation of many flowers with their receptacles, ovaries, ||etc., as the breadfruit, mulberry, and pineapple.

Sor"rage (?; 48), n. [Cf. Sorrel, n.] The blades of green or barley. [Obs.] Bailey.

Sor"rance (?), n. Same as Sorance. [Obs.]

Sor"rel (?), a. [F. saur, saure, OF. sor, sore, probably of Teutonic origin; cf. D. zoor dry, LG. soor; the meaning probably coming from the color of dry leaves. See Sear, a., and cf. Sorel.] Of a yellowish or redish brown color; as, a sorrel horse.

Sor"rel (?), n. A yellowish or redish brown color.

Sor"rel, n. [F. surelle, fr. sur sour, fr. OHG. s&?;r sour. See Sour.] (Bot.) One of various plants having a sour juice; especially, a plant of the genus Rumex, as Rumex Acetosa, Rumex Acetosella, etc.

Mountain sorrel. (Bot.) See under Mountain. -- Red sorrel. (Bot.) (a) A malvaceous plant (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) whose acid calyxes and capsules are used in the West Indies for making tarts and acid drinks. (b) A troublesome weed (Rumex Acetosella), also called sheep sorrel. -- Salt of sorrel (Chem.), binoxalate of potassa; -- so called because obtained from the juice of Rumex Acetosella, or Rumex Axetosa. -- Sorrel tree (Bot.), a small ericaceous tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) whose leaves resemble those of the peach and have a sour taste. It is common along the Alleghanies. Called also sourwood. -- Wood sorrel (Bot.), any plant of the genus Oxalis.

Sor"ren"to work` (?). Ornamental work, mostly carved in olivewood, decorated with inlay, made at or near Sorrento, Italy. Hence, more rarely, jig-saw work and the like done anywhere.

Sor"ri*ly (?), adv. In a sorry manner; poorly.

Thy pipe, O Pan, shall help, though I sing sorrily.

Sir P. Sidney.

Sor"ri*ness, n. The quality or state of being sorry.

Sor"row (?), n. [OE. sorwe, sorewe, sor&?;e, AS. sorg, sorh; akin to D. zorg care, anxiety, OS. sorga, OHG. sorga, soraga, suorga, G. sorge, Icel., Sw., & Dan. sorg, Goth. saúrga; of unknown origin.] The uneasiness or pain of mind which is produced by the loss of any good, real or supposed, or by diseappointment in the expectation of good; grief at having suffered or occasioned evil; regret; unhappiness; sadness. Milton.

How great a sorrow suffereth now Arcite!

Chaucer.

The safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment.

Rambler.

Syn. -- Grief; unhappiness; regret; sadness; heaviness; mourning; affliction. See Affliction, and Grief.

Sor"row, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sorrowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sorrowing.] [OE. sorowen, sorwen, sorhen, AS. sorgian; akin to Goth. saúrgan. See Sorrow, n.] To feel pain of mind in consequence of evil experienced, feared, or done; to grieve; to be sad; to be sorry.

Sorrowing most of all . . . that they should see his face no more.

Acts xx. 38.

I desire no man to sorrow for me.

Sir J. Hayward.

Sor"rowed (?) (&?;), a. Accompanied with sorrow; sorrowful. [Obs.] Shak.

Sor"row*ful (?), a. [OE. sorweful, AS. sorgful.] 1. Full of sorrow; exhibiting sorrow; sad; dejected; distressed. "This sorrowful prisoner." Chaucer.

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

Matt. xxvi. 38.

2. Producing sorrow; exciting grief; mournful; lamentable; grievous; as, a sorrowful accident.

Syn. -- Sad; mournful; dismal; disconsolate; drear; dreary; grievous; lamentable; doleful; distressing.

-- Sor"row*ful*ly, adv. -- Sor"row*ful*ness, n.

Sor"row*less, a. Free from sorrow.

Sor"ry (?), a. [Compar. Sorrier (?); superl. Sorriest.] [OE. sory, sary, AS. srig, fr. sr, n., sore. See Sore, n. & a. The original sense was, painful; hence, miserable, sad.] 1. Grieved for the loss of some good; pained for some evil; feeling regret; -- now generally used to express light grief or affliction, but formerly often used to express deeper feeling. "I am sorry for my sins." Piers Plowman.

Ye were made sorry after a godly manner.

2 Cor. vii. 9.

I am sorry for thee, friend; 't is the duke's pleasure.

Shak.

She entered, were he lief or sorry.

Spenser.

2. Melancholy; dismal; gloomy; mournful. Spenser.

All full of chirking was this sorry place.

Chaucer.

3. Poor; mean; worthless; as, a sorry excuse. "With sorry grace." Chaucer.

Cheeks of sorry grain will serve.

Milton.

Good fruit will sometimes grow on a sorry tree.

Sir W. Scott.

Syn. -- Hurt; afflicted; mortified; vexed; chagrined; melancholy; dismal; poor; mean; pitiful.

||Sors (?), n.; pl. Sortes (#). [L.] A lot; also, a kind of divination ||by means of lots.

Sortes Homericæ or Virgilianæ [L., Homeric or Virgilian lots], a form of divination anciently practiced, which consisted in taking the first passage on which the eye fell, upon opening a volume of Homer or Virgil, or a passage drawn from an urn which several were deposited, as indicating future events, or the proper course to be pursued. In later times the Bible was used for the same purpose by Christians.

Sort (?), n. [F. sorl, L. sors, sortis. See Sort kind.] Chance; lot; destiny. [Obs.]

By aventure, or sort, or cas [chance].

Chaucer.

Let blockish Ajax draw The sort to fight with Hector.

Shak.

<! p. 1374 !>