sortija

Old Spanish

Alternative forms

• sortiia (alternative spelling)

Etymology

From Late Latin *sorticula (“a small lot, table or ticket”), from Latin sors (“chances, lot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /soɾˈtiʒa/

Noun

sortija f (plural sortijas)

1. ring, earring
   • c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 7r:

     […] E q̃ero q̃tu aẏas poder. ſobre todo quãto ẏoe. eſea ſos tu mano. priſo pharaon la ſortija. de oro q auie en ſu mano ⁊ diola a iosep.

     [“[…] E quiero que tú ayas poder sobre todo quanto yo he, e sea sos tu mano.” Priso Pharaon la sortija de oro que avíe en su mano e dio-la a Josep.]

     “[…] And I want you to have power over all that I have, and that it be under your command.” [And] Pharaoh took the gold ring from his hand and gave it to Joseph.

   • c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 20r:

     Derrõpierõ todo el pueblo las ſortijas del oro q̃ teniẽ en ſus oreias. &́ aduxierõ las aaron ⁊ priſolas en su mano. ⁊ metiolas en la forma. E ſalio vezerro forjada.

     [Derrompieron todo el pueblo las sortijas del oro que teníen en sus orejas, e aduxieron-las a Aaron, e priso-las en su mano e metió-las en la forma, e salió vezerro forjada.]

     All the people broke the rings of gold they wore on their ears, and they gave them to Aaron, and he took them in his hand and cast them into the mold, and out came a forged calf.

Descendants

• Spanish: sortija

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish sortija, from Late Latin *sorticula (“a small lot, table or ticket”), from Latin sors (“chances, lot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /soɾˈtixa/ [soɾˈt̪i.xa]
• Rhymes: -ixa
• Syllabification: sor‧ti‧ja

Noun

sortija f (plural sortijas)

1. ring (round piece worn around the finger)

   Synonym: anillo

2. a Spanish guessing game
3. (Argentina) a game played by gauchos where they try to catch a suspended ring while galloping on horseback

Further reading

• “sortija”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025