LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

virtūs

virtūs f (genitive virtūtis)
Classical[ˈwɪr.tuːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈvir.tus]
№ 111 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. manhood, manliness, virility
  2. courage, valor, resoluteness, gallantry
    Quā dē causā Helvētiī quoque reliquōs Gallōs virtūte praecēdunt, quod ferē cotīdiānīs proeliīs cum Germānīs contendunt, cum aut suīs fīnibus eōs prohibent aut ipsī in eōrum fīnibus bellum gerunt.Translation by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn For which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valor, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war on their frontiers.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.1
  3. virtue, goodness
  4. excellence, merit, worth, character
  5. figurativelystrength (of medicine or herbs)

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Mille Verba cover
animus fortis et bonus; virtūs mīlitis, virtūs bonī virī.
virtūs -ūtis f — in Mille Verba, Animus et Adfectūs
Seneca cover
virtue, courage
virtūs — in Seneca, ch. XX

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativevirtūsvirtūtēs
genitivevirtūtisvirtūtum
dativevirtūtīvirtūtibus
accusativevirtūtemvirtūtēs
ablativevirtūtevirtūtibus
vocativevirtūsvirtūtēs

Lewis & Short A Latin Dictionary, 1879

virtūs, ūtis (
I. gen. plur. virtutium, App. Mag. 73; Paul. Nol. Carm. 10, 34; dat. and abl. VIRTVTEI, Inscr. Corp. Lat. 1, 30 and 34), f. vir, manliness, manhood, i. e. the sum of all the corporeal or mental excellences of man, strength, vigor; bravery, courage; aptness, capacity; worth, excellence, virtue, etc.: virtus clara aeternaque habetur, Sall. C. 1, 4: ni virtus fidesque vostra spectata mihi forent, id. ib. 20, 2; id. J. 74, 1.
I. In gen.
A. Lit.: ita fiet, ut animi virtus corporis virtuti anteponatur, Cic. Fin. 5, 13, 38: his virtutibus ornatus, modestiā, temperantiā, justitiā, id. Off. 1, 15, 46; cf.: virtutes continentiae, gravitatis, justitiae, fidei, id. Mur. 10, 23: virtus atque integritas, id. Font. 13, 29: oratoris vis divina virtusque, id. de Or. 2, 27, 120.—
B. Transf., of animals, and of inanimate or abstract things, goodness, worth, value, power, strength, etc.: nam nec arboris, nec equi virtus (in quo abutimur nomine) in opinione sita est, sed in naturā, Cic. Leg. 1, 16, 45: praedium-solo bono, suā virtute valeat, Cato, R. R. 1, 2: merci pretium statui, pro virtute ut veneat, Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 131: navium, Liv. 37, 24, 1: ferri, Just. 11, 13, 11: herbarum, Ov. M. 14, 357: oratoriae virtutes, Cic. Brut. 17, 65: oratio habet virtutes tres, Quint. 1, 5, 1: dicendi (opp. vitium), id. 8, praef. § 17: facundiae, id. 12, 3, 9.—
II. In partic.
A. In the phrase deūm virtute, usu. with dicam, by the aid or merit of the gods, i. e. the gods be thanked (anteclass), Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 65: virtute deūm et majorum nostrūm, id. Aul. 2, 1, 44; id. Capt. 2, 2, 71 dub.; cf. id. Mil. 3, 1, 85 and 90; so virtute eorum (i. e. majorum), id. Trin. 3, 2, 17.—
B. Moral perfection, virtuousness, virtue.
1. Lit.: est autem virtus nihil aliud quam in se perfecta et ad summum perducta natura, Cic. Leg. 1, 8, 25: virtus est animi habitus naturae modo rationi consentaneus, id. Inv. 2, 53, 159: cum omnes rectae animi affectiones virtutes appellentur ... Appellata est ex viro virtus, etc., id. Tusc. 2, 18, 43; id. Inv. 2, 53, 159: nec vero habere virtutem satis est quasi artem aliquam, nisi utare ... virtus in usu sui tota posita est, id. Rep. 1, 2, 2: est in eo virtus et probitas et summum officium summaque observantia, id. Fam. 13, 28, a, 2.—
2. Transf., Virtue, personified as a deity, Cic. N. D. 2, 23, 61; 2, 31, 79; id. Leg. 2, 8, 19; 2, 11, 28; id. Phil. 14, 13, 34; Plaut. Am. prol. 42; Liv. 27, 25, 7; 29, 11, 13; Juv. 1, 115 al.—
C. Military talents, courage, valor, bravery, gallantry, fortitude (syn. fortitudo), etc.: Helvetii reliquos Gallos virtute praecedunt, quod fere cottidianis proeliis cum Germanis contendunt, Caes. B. G. 1, 1; cf. id. ib. 1, 2; 1, 13: militum, Sall. J. 52, 6; 62, 1: Claudi virtute Neronis Armenius cecidit, Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 26: Scipiadae, id. S. 2, 1, 72; cf. id. Epod. 9, 26; 16, 5; id. C. 2, 7, 11.—
D. Obstinacy: iniqua, Stat. Th. 11, 1.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weyh₁-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*wiHrós
  3. Proto-Italic*wiros
  4. Latinvirtūs

Proto-Indo-European *-tuHts Latin -tūs Latin virtūs From vir (“man, male”) + -tūs (abstract noun-forming suffix).

Descendants
  • Catalanvirtut
  • Englishvirtuefrom Old French vertu
  • Frenchvertufrom Old French vertu
  • Italianvirtù
  • Italianvertù
  • Occitanvertut
  • Portuguesevirtudefrom Old Galician-Portuguese vertude
  • Spanishvirtudfrom Old Spanish vertud
  • Romanianvârtute
  • Romanianvirtute