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virtuoso

[vur-choo-oh-soh]
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noun, plural vir·tu·o·sos, vir·tu·o·si [vur-choo-oh-see] /ˌvɜr tʃuˈoʊ si/.
  1. a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field.
  2. a person who excels in musical technique or execution.
  3. a person who has a cultivated appreciation of artistic excellence, as a connoisseur or collector of objects of art, antiques, etc.
  4. Obsolete. a person who has special interest or knowledge in the arts and sciences; scientist; scholar.
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adjective
  1. Also vir·tu·os·ic [vur-choo-os-ik] /ˌvɜr tʃuˈɒs ɪk/. of, relating to, or characteristic of a virtuoso: a virtuoso performance.
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Origin of virtuoso

1610–20; < Italian: versed, skilled < Late Latin virtuosus virtuous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for virtuosi

Historical Examples

  • We had our virtuosi of the highest rank, our rich and noble authors in abundance.

    The English Spy

    Bernard Blackmantle

  • I would not barter memories of their music-making for a wilderness of virtuosi.

    Unicorns

    James Huneker

  • I knew that for virtuosi there were temptations and dangers that they were not all capable of overcoming.

    An Autobiography

    Igor Stravinsky

  • The greatest names among these virtuosi have in fact a Jewish sound.

    An Autobiography

    Igor Stravinsky

  • I, who was never stirred or pleased by the playing of virtuosi!

    The Dangerous Age

    Karin Michalis

British Dictionary definitions for virtuosi

virtuoso

noun plural -sos or -si (-siː)
  1. a consummate master of musical technique and artistry
  2. a person who has a masterly or dazzling skill or technique in any field of activity
  3. a connoisseur, dilettante, or collector of art objects
  4. obsolete a scholar or savant
  5. (modifier) showing masterly skill or brilliancea virtuoso performance
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Derived Formsvirtuosic (ˌvɜːtjʊˈɒsɪk), adjectivevirtuosity, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Italian: skilled, from Late Latin virtuōsus good, virtuous; see virtue
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 virtuosi

virtuoso

n.

1610s, "scholar, connoisseur," from Italian virtuoso (plural virtuosi), noun use of adjective meaning "skilled, learned, of exceptional worth," from Late Latin virtuosus (see virtuous). Meaning "person with great skill" (as in music) is first attested 1743.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper