What does sortition mean?
Sortition is the practice of choosing among people or things by lot rather than by personal preference, examination, or competitive ranking. The term can describe the method itself, as in a jury selected by sortition, or the resulting selection or order. It appears especially in legal and political writing, where impartiality is important, and in literary or historical contexts, where an unexpected outcome may be described as the result of chance. Sortition does not necessarily imply that every possible option has an equal chance; the procedure may be carefully designed while still avoiding subjective preference. Its unusual vocabulary makes it useful when precision is needed to distinguish random assignment from ordinary selection.
nounThe act of choosing or assigning something by lot, especially when the participants are selected randomly. It may also refer to the resulting arrangement or selection.
- The selection of people, positions, or other items by lot or random assignment.
"The organizers used sortition to choose the order in which the applicants would be interviewed."
"Membership of the committee was determined by sortition."
"By a stroke of sortition, the manuscript was chosen for exhibition."
Rare in the plural, but standard when referring to separate acts or instances of selection by lot.
"The two sortitions produced a jury and a reserve panel."
Sortition puts chance into charge of choosing, turning an impartial draw into a recognized method of decision-making.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sortition come from?
Sortition entered English in the 16th century from Latin sortitio, a noun meaning an allotment or selection by lot. The Latin word was formed from sortiri, "to choose by lot," which is related to sortem, "lot." The same Latin foundation appears in words such as sort, assort, and resort, although their modern meanings and uses have developed independently.
How sortition is actually used
A formal and relatively uncommon term, used chiefly in legal, academic, political, and literary contexts. It is more specific than "selection" because it emphasizes random choice rather than judgment or qualification.
Easily confused with sortition
Selection is the general process of choosing among alternatives, whereas sortition specifically implies choosing by lot or another random procedure.