Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
SORT
I. noun see: series
Date: 14th century
1. a group set up on the basis of any characteristic in common ; class , kind , one approximating the character or qualities of another , person , individual , group , company ,
3. method or manner of acting ; way , manner , character , nature ,
4. a letter or character that is one element of a font, a character or piece of type that is not part of a regular font, an instance of sorting , see: type
II. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. to put in a certain place or rank according to kind, class, or nature , to arrange according to characteristics ; classify , to put to rights ; put in order,
3. to examine in order to clarify, to free of confusion ; clarify , intransitive verb to join or associate with others especially of the same kind , agree , harmonize , search , sortable adjective sorter noun