lot Copy link Outline I. Decision by hazardII. Fortune, circumstances1. sors (poet. and late)2. fortūnaIII. A portion; esp. of land • lot: I. Decision by hazard: sors, tis, f.: cf. Cic. Div. 2, 41, init.: the matter is ultimately decided by l., res revocatur ad s., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 51, 127: the pl. often denotes the billets used in drawing l.s: hence, to draw l.s, sortibus uti (gen. term), Cic. Div. 2, 41, 87: more precisely, sortes miscere et ducere (to shuffle and draw), ib. § 86: but also sortem ducere [sors ducitur], Cic. Verr. 4, 64, 143: the abl. is used adverb.: he got the province of Sicily by l., ei sorte provincia Sicilia obvenit, ib. 2, 2, 6, 17. To decide by l., sortior, 4: foll. by rel. clause, Cic. N. D. 1, 35, 98 (non considerare sed quasi sortiri quid loquare): also with inter se, id. Fat. 20, 46: Liv.: also to obtain by l. (with acc.), Liv. 39, 45: hence, the act of casting lots or deciding by lot, sortitio, Pl.: Cic.: also (not in Cic.), sortitus, ūs, Pl.: Virg.: adv. sortito, by casting l.: to be chosen by l., sortito capi, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 51, 126. Fig.: it falls to any one's l., contingit (with dat.): v. to happen (2). II. Fortune, circumstances: 1. sors (poet. and late): content with one's l., sorte contentus, Hor. Sat. 1, 1, init.: Tac. 2. fortūna: v. fortune. (In this sense the word need often not be expressed literally: which of these two has the more enviable l.? uter horum beatior? O happy l. of the husbandman! O fortunatos agricolas! Virg. G. 2, 458.) III. A portion; esp. of land: ăgellus, modus agri v. plot. At an auction, tĭtŭlus (?).