virtu
Americannoun
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excellence or merit in objects of art, curios, and the like.
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(used with a plural verb) such objects or articles collectively.
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a taste for or knowledge of such objects.
noun
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a taste or love for curios or works of fine art; connoisseurship
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such objects collectively
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the quality of being rare, beautiful, or otherwise appealing to a connoisseur (esp in the phrases articles of virtu; objects of virtu )
Etymology
Origin of virtu
First recorded in 1715–25; from Italian virtù, vertù “worth, maleness, strength”; see virtue
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, Machiavelli appears and discusses his philosophical concept of "virtu" – the qualities needed to be a leader – with the hero Ezio.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 15, 2011
Courting private cap ital, the new regime has returned virtu ally all foreign properties seized by Sukarno, promised tax holidays and easy repatriation of profits to all newcomers.
From Time Magazine Archive
New foreign investment virtu ally was halted for months following the disorders.
From Time Magazine Archive
By borrowing a U.S. en gineering technique of offering clients "total package deals," Bufete has virtu ally cornered the Mexican engineering market while taking a lot of business away from U.S. competitors.
From Time Magazine Archive
There were other little articles of virtu and bric-a-brac till you couldn't rest, but these were all that I could see thoroughly before he returned from the wash-room.
From Remarks by Bill Nye
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
