The term "sort" has several related meanings depending on context:

General Meaning

• As a verb, "sort" means to arrange or organize items by putting them in order or separating them into groups based on common qualities or characteristics. For example, sorting recyclables into paper, plastic, and cans

• As a noun, "sort" refers to a type, kind, or category of something, often distinguished by shared traits. For example, "a generous sort of person" or "remarks of that sort"

In Computer Science and Data

• Sorting is the process of ordering data in increasing or decreasing order according to some linear relationship among the items, such as numerical or alphabetical order

• It can also mean categorizing items with similar properties.
• Sorting is fundamental in computing for efficient searching, merging, and processing of data

• A sorting algorithm is a method or procedure that puts elements of a list into a specified order, such as ascending or descending numerical or lexicographical order

• The sorted order is defined by a "sort key," which is the property or component used to determine the order (e.g., book titles, dates, city names)

In Software Tools (Example: Excel)

• The SORT function in Excel arranges the contents of a range or array in order, either ascending or descending, based on specified criteria

Summary

• Sort (verb): To arrange or separate items into order or groups.
• Sort (noun): A category or type.
• Sorting (computing): Ordering data according to a criterion.
• Sorting algorithm: A procedure to reorder data efficiently.

This covers the main definitions and uses of "sort" across everyday language and computing contexts