sorta

English

Etymology

A written form of a reduction of sort of.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔːtə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔɹtə/, [-ɾə]
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)tə

Adverb

sorta (not comparable)

1. (informal) Contraction of sort of.

   Synonyms: kinda, kinda sorta, sorta kinda

   The portraits on the wall aren’t that good, but they’re just sorta cool to have around.

   • 1912 September, Charles Alden Seltzer, “Love’s International”, in The Outing Magazine: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction, volume LX, number 6, New York, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.: Outing Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 680, column 1:

     'Webb,' he says sorta sorrowful like, 'it looks like a howlin' shame to have a bang-up American girl hooked up to a money-grubbin' member of the British nobility. It don't in no way fit in with my ideas of the speerut of American independence!'

   • 1993 July, William R. Scott, “Sort of a Hero”, in Scott Stuckey, editor, Boys’ Life, volume LXXXIII, number 7, Irving, Tex.: Boy Scouts of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34, column 2:

     When Tommy's folks heard about it they were angry with him, and with Chuck for using him to play such a mean trick on Vern. In fact the whole thing sorta backfired on old Chuck—and on me and Pete too. Instead of laughing about it, most people thought it was pretty crummy.

Translations

contraction of sort of — see sort of

Contraction

sorta (plural sortsa)

1. (informal) Sort of.

   There’s gotta be some sorta explanation.

   • 2001, Lawrence A. Wenzel, The Sandcastle at High Tide, page 97:

     He glanced at her then back at me. "What sorta research?" / "Well, war correspondent might not be too far off," I said.

Anagrams

• Astor, Astro, Roats, Sarot, Troas, artos, astro, astro-, ratos, roast, rotas, taros, tarso-

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔr̥ta/
• Rhymes: -ɔr̥ta

Noun

sorta f (genitive singular sortu, nominative plural sortur)

1. black dye

Declension

Declension of sorta (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	sorta	sortan	sortur	sorturnar
accusative	sortu	sortuna	sortur	sorturnar
dative	sortu	sortunni	sortum	sortunum
genitive	sortu	sortunnar	sorta, sortna	sortanna, sortnanna

Derived terms

• sortulyng (“common bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi”)

Related terms

• sorti (“darkness; dark weather”)
• sortna (“to darken”)
• svartur (“black”)