virtue

B2 Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment

US /ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/ See IPA manual

Freq #7179

Meanings

1

noun
A good moral quality in a person.

Patience is a virtue worth developing.
2

noun
Behaviour that follows high moral standards; goodness.

He led a life of virtue and honesty.
3

noun
A good or useful quality of something; an advantage.

The main virtue of the plan is its simplicity.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a good moral quality in a... moral excellence

More douthgoodness thew

Opposites

foible vice

Word family

Forms virtues

Derived forms pseudovirtuevirtue-signalingvirtue-signallingvirtuous

Related forms aretaicparagon virago virile virtualvirtuosavirtuosity virtuoso virtuous

Appears in

Phrases (1)

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supernatural virtue
one of the virtues regarded in Christian ethics as given by God

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (6)

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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.

vertu Middle English virtus Latin

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Topics

Ethics & Social Judgment

External links

# virtue

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/
**Frequency rank:** 7179

## Meanings
1. A good moral quality in a person.
2. Behaviour that follows high moral standards; goodness.
3. A good or useful quality of something; an advantage.

## Examples
- Patience is a virtue worth developing.
- He led a life of virtue and honesty.
- The main virtue of the plan is its simplicity.

## Synonyms
- douth
- goodness
- thew

## Antonyms
- foible
- vice

## Derived Forms
- pseudovirtue
- virtue-signaling
- virtue-signalling
- virtuous

## Related Forms
- aretaic
- paragon
- virago
- virile
- virtual
- virtuosa
- virtuosity
- virtuoso
- virtuous

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: vertu
- Root: virtus

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Virtue is 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. Important historical forms include Middle English vertu, Anglo-Norman vertu, and Latin virtus. In present-day use, it can mean a good moral quality in a person, or behaviour that follows high moral standards; goodness. Derived formations include pseudovirtue, virtue-signaling, virtue-signalling, virtuous.

## Topics
- Ethics & Social Judgment

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