The Spanish word 'sortija' (meaning 'ring') has an interesting etymology that traces back to the Latin word 'sors', meaning 'fate' or 'fortune'. From 'sors', the diminutive form 'sorticula' was created, meaning 'small lot' or 'token'. This evolved into the Late Latin 'sorticla' (through a process called syncope where the middle vowel was dropped), which came to specifically mean 'ring'. Finally, this developed into the modern Spanish word 'sortija'.

The semantic evolution from 'fate/fortune' to 'ring' likely occurred because small tokens or lots were often used in ancient times for divination or fortune-telling practices, and these tokens were sometimes ring-shaped or worn as rings.

The Spanish word 'suerte' (meaning 'luck' or 'fortune') is a related word that comes from the same Latin root 'sors'. While 'sortija' evolved to refer specifically to a ring, 'suerte' retained the original meaning related to fate and fortune. Another related Spanish word is 'sortear', which means 'to draw lots' or 'to raffle', again connecting back to the original concept of fate and chance.

The English word 'sort' is etymologically related to 'sortija', as it also comes from Latin 'sors'. While 'sortija' developed to mean 'ring', the English word 'sort' evolved from the idea of casting lots or determining by fate to its current meaning of arranging or classifying things. The English words 'assort' and 'resort' are also related, all stemming from this same Latin root meaning 'fate' or 'lot'.