sortiarius

Latin

Alternative forms

• sorcerus (Reichenau Glossary)

Etymology

From sort- (“fate, fortune”) +‎ -ārius (occupational suffix), hence with an etymological sense of 'fortune-teller'. Attested in the writings of Hincmar.

Noun

sortiārius m (genitive sortiāriī or sortiārī); second declension (Early Medieval Latin)

1. sorcerer

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	sortiārius	sortiāriī
genitive	sortiāriī sortiārī1	sortiāriōrum
dative	sortiāriō	sortiāriīs
accusative	sortiārium	sortiāriōs
ablative	sortiāriō	sortiāriīs
vocative	sortiārie	sortiāriī

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Related terms

• sortilegus

Descendants

• Old French: sorcier, sorchier (northern)
  • French: sorcier
  • Norman: chorchi
  • → Middle English: sorcerere, sorcerour, sorserer, sorcerer
    • English: sorcerer