Assorted

How to spell assorted

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce assorted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does assorted mean?

1. adjectiveMade up of various different kinds or types grouped together.

Assorted in a sentence

• The gift basket held an assorted selection of teas and jams.

• She bought a box of assorted chocolates for the office party.

Where does assorted come from?

Language of origin: French

The word traces back to the verb 'assort', which English borrowed from the Old French 'assortir', meaning 'to allot' or 'to arrange in groups'. That French verb combined the prefix 'a-' (from the Latin 'ad-', meaning 'to' or 'towards') with 'sorte', a kind or class, which itself descends from the Latin 'sors', literally 'a lot' or 'a share' drawn by chance. The original idea was of dividing things into matching kinds, and by the sixteenth century 'assort' meant to supply with a suitable variety of goods. The past-participle adjective 'assorted' then came to describe a mixture made up of various kinds, as in a tin of assorted biscuits. The same 'sors' root sits inside everyday words like 'sort', 'sorcery', and 'consort', and the doubled 's' that follows the 'as-' prefix is the spelling detail writers most often slip on.

How the word is built

• as- (from Latin ad-: to, towards)
• sort (kind, class, from Latin sors: lot, share)
• -ed (adjective suffix)