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noun
Idioms1.
moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.
2.
conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.
3.
chastity; virginity: to lose one's virtue.
4.
a particular moral excellence. Compare cardinal virtues, natural virtue, theological virtue.
5.
EXPANDa good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.
9.
10.
make a virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.
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In virtue of
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Origin:
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
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
Related forms
vir·tue·less, adjective
vir·tue·less·ness, noun
non·vir·tue, noun
Antonyms
1. vice.
1. vice.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To in virtue of
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
virtue
early 13c., "moral life and conduct, moral excellence," vertu, from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. vertu, from L. virtutem (nom. virtus) "moral strength, manliness, valor, excellence, worth," from vir "man" (see virile). Phrase by virtue of (early 13c.) preserves alternative M.E. sense
EXPANDof "efficacy." Wyclif Bible has virtue where K.J.V. 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 L. facere de necessitate virtutem. [Jerome]
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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