WorldJuly 9, 2026
sorties
/ˈsɔːrtiːz/
Definition
Individual military missions, typically flights by an aircraft or a ship, conducted against enemy positions.
Etymology
Derived from the French word 'sortie,' meaning 'a going out' or 'exit,' based on the past participle of 'sortir.' It entered English in the late 18th century to describe troops making a sudden sally from a besieged place.
In the news
The article uses the word to describe specific ongoing U.S. military flights over Libya in 2011, noting how the Obama administration argued these missions did not constitute 'hostilities' to bypass legal time limits.
One Man’s War
Read the full article ↗Foreign Affairs