virtual (ˈvɜːtʃʊəl) ![]() | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | having the essence or effect but not the appearance or form of: a virtual revolution |
| 2. | physics being, relating to, or involving a virtual image: a virtual focus |
| 3. | computing of or relating to virtual storage: virtual memory |
| 4. | of or relating to a computer technique by which a person, wearing a headset or mask, has the experience of being in an environment created by the computer, and of interacting with and causing changes in it |
| 5. | rare capable of producing an effect through inherent power or virtue |
| 6. | physics See also exchange force designating or relating to a particle exchanged between other particles that are interacting by a field of force: a virtual photon |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin virtuālis effective, from Latin virtūs | |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
virtual
adj. [via the technical term `virtual memory', prob. from the term `virtual image' in optics]