virtue

vir·tue

Use virtue in a sentence

noun

Virtue is defined as moral excellence.

An example of virtue is the following of all the Ten Commandments.

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virtue

general moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness or morality
a specific moral quality regarded as good or meritorious
chastity, esp. in a woman
1. excellence in general; merit: the virtue in planning ahead
2. a good quality or feature: the virtues of teaching as a profession
effective power or force; efficacy; esp., the ability to heal or strengthen: the virtue of a medicine
Now Rare manly quality; strength, courage, etc.

Origin of virtue

Middle English vertue from Old French vertu, virtue, goodness, power from Classical Latin virtus, manliness, worth from vir, man: see werewolf

virtue Idioms

by virtue of

because of; on the grounds of

make a virtue of necessity

to accept with an agreeable or positive attitude that which must be accepted anyway

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MLA Style

"Virtue." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/VIRTUE.

APA Style

Virtue. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/VIRTUE

virtue

noun

a. Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness.
b. An example or kind of moral excellence: the virtue of patience.
Archaic Chastity, especially in a woman.
A particularly efficacious, good, or beneficial quality; advantage: a plan with the virtue of being practical.
Effective force or power: believed in the virtue of prayer.
virtues Christianity The fifth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.
Obsolete Manly courage; valor.

Origin of virtue

Middle English vertu from Old French from Latin virtūs manliness, excellence, goodness from vir man ; see wī-ro- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Virtue." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/VIRTUE.

APA Style

Virtue. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/VIRTUE

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural virtues)

The inherent power or efficacy of something (now only in phrases). [from 13th c.]
(uncountable) Accordance with moral principles; conformity of behaviour or thought with the strictures of morality; good moral conduct. [from 13th c.]
A particular manifestation of moral excellence in a person; an admirable quality. [from 13th c.]
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. [from 14th c.]
An inherently advantageous or excellent quality of something or someone; a favourable point, an advantage. [from 14th c.]
A creature embodying divine power, specifically one of the orders of heavenly beings, traditionally ranked above angels and below archangels. [from 14th c.]
(uncountable) Specifically, moral conduct in sexual behaviour, especially of women; chastity. [from 17th c.]

Antonyms

(excellence in morals): vice
foible

Related terms

terms etymologically related to "virtue"

Origin

Middle English vertu, from Anglo-Norman vertu, Middle French vertu, from Latin virtus (“manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence"), from vir (“man"); see virile.