virtue means A surname. It carries an Arena rating of 1618, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, virtue ranks #212 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,576 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,611 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,935 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
virtue is pronounced /ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/.
Why “virtue” is a great word
A quality considered morally good or excellent in a person, such as honesty or courage, or the general conformity of behavior with such moral principles. From Middle English vertu, virtue, from Anglo-Norman vertu, virtu, from Latin virtus ("manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence"), from vir ("man"). Unlike "vice," its direct and depraved opposite, or "craft," which has shed its Old English moral weight to signify mere skill, virtue holds fast to the idea of moral excellence as both compass and conduct. It is the soldier standing his ground not from fury but from fortitude, the merchant returning the excess coin unasked, and the quiet patience that endures a long injustice without yielding to spite—a practice so relentless it becomes a kind of nature, polished smooth by daily friction against the world.
Etymology
From Middle English vertu, virtue, borrowed from Anglo-Norman vertu, virtu, from Latin virtus (“manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence”), from vir (“man”). Doublet of vertu. See virile. In this sense, displaced Old English cræft, whence Modern English craft.
noun
- The idea of all that is good or excellent (in every sense of those terms) in a human being, collectively instantiated by a varying number of human traits known as "the virtues", the enumeration of which vary by the many virtue systems which have developed within different cultures, religions, and historical periods.
- Accordance with moral principles; conformity of behaviour or thought with the strictures of morality; good moral conduct.e.g.“Without virtue, there is no freedom.”
- An attribute of a personality (a "personality trait") which predisposes a person to behaviors resulting in human goodness; an admirable quality.
- A particular manifestation of moral excellence in a person.
- Specifically, each of several qualities held to be particularly important, including the four cardinal virtues, the three theological virtues, or the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly sins.e.g.“Better to be excluded from society than to deny the virtue of citizenship.”
- An inherently advantageous or excellent quality of something or someone; a favourable point, an advantage.e.g.“There were divers other plants, which I had no notion of or understanding about, that might, perhaps, have virtues of their own, which I could not find out.” — 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC:
- A creature embodying divine power, specifically one of the orders of heavenly beings, traditionally ranked above angels and archangels, and below seraphim and cherubim.e.g.“Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers; / For in possession such, not only of right, / I call ye, and declare ye now […].” — 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as
- Specifically, moral conduct in sexual behaviour, especially of women; chastity.
- The inherent power of a god, or other supernatural being.
- The inherent power or efficacy of something (now only in phrases).e.g.“There was a virtue in the wave;
His limbs, that, stiff with toil,
Dragg’d heavy, from the copious draught receiv’d
Lightness and supple strength.” — 1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cot
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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