Virtue Once Meant Manliness
Virtue is moral excellence. The Latin root is vir, a man, and the word originally meant courage of the kind expected of one.
Virtue is moral excellence. Latin *virtus* meant manliness, courage and worth — built directly on *vir*, a man. Roman virtue was closer to valour than to goodness, and the moral sense broadened only through Christian usage. The same root gives *virile*, and, less obviously, *triumvirate*, a rule of three men.
- Moral excellence. *A life of virtue.*
- A good quality. *Patience is a virtue.*
- An advantage. *The virtue of simplicity.*
- By virtue of — because of. *By virtue of his office.*
- Virtue signalling — displaying moral views for approval. *Accused of virtue signalling.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | virtue | Civic virtue. |
| Plural | virtues | Its many virtues. |
| Adjective | virtuous | A virtuous circle. |
| Related | virile | Virile energy. |
| Latin | vir | A man. |
- Patience is a virtue.Proverb.
- The design's chief virtue is its simplicity.An advantage.
- He holds the seat by virtue of an old rule.The fixed phrase.
Virtuous or vicious circle?
- Virtuous circle — a loop where each step improves the next
- Vicious circle — a loop where each step makes things worse
- Vicious comes from *vitium*, a fault, not from viciousness in the modern sense
- Feedback loop — the neutral technical term for both
- The pair is one of the neatest opposites English has built
Old French *vertu*, from Latin *virtus*, manliness or worth, from *vir*, a man. English has used it since the 1200s.
Did virtue really mean manliness?
In Latin, yes. Virtus was built on vir, a man, and meant courage and worth. The moral sense broadened later.
What does by virtue of mean?
Because of, or through the power of. It is a fixed phrase and does not imply moral goodness.