virtue

[ vur-choo ]

/ ˈvɜr tʃu /

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noun

moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.

conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.

chastity; virginity: to lose one's virtue.

a particular moral excellence.Compare cardinal virtues, natural virtue, theological virtue.

a good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.

effective force; power or potency: a charm with the virtue of removing warts.

virtues, an order of angels.Compare angel(def 1).

manly excellence; valor.

Nearby words

virtual reality, virtual storage, virtuality, virtualize, virtually, virtue, virtue signaling, virtues, virtuosa, virtuosity, virtuoso

Idioms

by/in virtue of, by reason of; because of: to act by virtue of one's legitimate authority.

make a virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.

Origin of virtue

1175–1225; alteration (with i < Latin) of Middle English vertu < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin virtūt- (stem of virtūs) maleness, worth, virtue, equivalent to vir man (see virile) + -tūt- abstract noun suffix

SYNONYMS FOR virtue

1 See goodness.

2 probity, integrity.

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ANTONYMS FOR virtue

1 vice.

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Related formsvir·tue·less, adjectivevir·tue·less·ness, nounnon·vir·tue, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for by virtue of

virtue

/ (ˈvɜːtjuː, -tʃuː) /

noun

the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness

a particular moral excellencethe virtue of tolerance

any of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) or theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity)

any admirable quality, feature, or trait

chastity, esp in women

archaic an effective, active, or inherent power or force

by virtue of or in virtue of on account of or by reason of

make a virtue of necessity to acquiesce in doing something unpleasant with a show of grace because one must do it in any case

Derived Formsvirtueless, adjective

Word Origin for virtue

C13: vertu, from Old French, from Latin virtūs manliness, courage, from vir man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for by virtue of

virtue

early 13c., "moral life and conduct, moral excellence," vertu, from Anglo-French and Old French vertu, from Latin virtutem (nominative virtus) "moral strength, manliness, valor, excellence, worth," from vir "man" (see virile).

For my part I honour with the name of virtue the habit of acting in a way troublesome to oneself and useful to others. [Stendhal "de l'Amour," 1822]

Phrase by virtue of (early 13c.) preserves alternative Middle English sense of "efficacy." Wyclif Bible has virtue where KJV uses power. The seven cardinal virtues (early 14c.) were divided into the natural (justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude) and the theological (hope, faith, charity). To make a virtue of a necessity (late 14c.) translates Latin facere de necessitate virtutem [Jerome].

Idioms and Phrases with by virtue of (1 of 2)

by virtue of

Also in virtue of. On the grounds of, by reason of, as in By virtue of a large inheritance she could easily afford not to work. [Early 1300s]

Idioms and Phrases with by virtue of (2 of 2)

virtue

see by virtue of; make a virtue of necessity.

virtue

noun

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Origin of virtue

British Dictionary definitions for by virtue of

virtue

noun

Word Origin for virtue

Word Origin and History for by virtue of

virtue

Idioms and Phrases with by virtue of (1 of 2)

by virtue of

Idioms and Phrases with by virtue of (2 of 2)

virtue