Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

virtue

/ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/ noun

In Latin: virtūs Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about virtue at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.
Any admirable quality or attribute.
work of great merit
Morality with respect to sexual relations.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word