sortita · noun — the air sung by any of the principal characters in an opera on entering. It carries an Arena rating of 1535, earned across 55 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sortita ranks #836 of 17,163 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,869 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words, #2,095 of 17,177 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,666 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words.
Why “sortita” is a great word
SORTITA — [Noun] In opera, the first aria sung by a principal character upon their initial entrance. From Italian sortita ("a going out, exit, or sally"), itself derived from the past participle of sortire ("to go out, to issue forth"), ultimately from Latin sortīrī ("to cast lots, to obtain by lot"). Unlike a generic "aria" (which can occur anywhere in the drama) or a concluding "postlude," the sortita is a strategic vocal sally from the wings into the narrative. It is the tenor stepping into the lamplight to announce his love, the soprano materializing from the gloom to voice her sorrow, the baritone crossing the threshold to unveil his scheme—a fateful moment, cast by lot and sung into being.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Italian sortita. Doublet of sortie.
noun
- The air sung by any of the principal characters in an opera on entering.
- A closing voluntary; a postlude.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- scena 60% match — A scene in an opera. vs sortita →
- tutti 55% match — All together. Indicates that the remainder of a group should join in playing after a solo or other passage with a reduced number of voices. vs sortita →
- aria 55% match — A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata. vs sortita →
- cavatina 54% match — An operatic song in slow tempo, either complete in itself or (e.g., in Bellini and Verdi) followed by a faster, more resolute section: hence vs sortita →
- parlando 54% match — A piece of music to be sung or played in the style of a recitative. vs sortita →
- arietta 54% match — a short aria. vs sortita →
- serenata 54% match — A type of baroque cantata performed outdoors, in the evening, with mixed vocal and instrumental forces vs sortita →
- semioperatic 52% match — Having some characteristics of opera. vs sortita →