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virtuemore about virtue

virtue

 

  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Virtue  \Vir"tue\  (?;  135),  n.  [OE.  vertu,  F.  vertu,  L.  virtus 
  strength,  courage,  excellence,  virtue,  fr  vir  a  man.  See 
  {Virile},  and  cf  {Virtu}.] 
  1.  Manly  strength  or  courage;  bravery;  daring;  spirit;  valor. 
  [Obs.]  --Shak. 
 
  Built  too  strong  For  force  or  virtue  ever  to  expugn. 
  --Chapman. 
 
  2.  Active  quality  or  power;  capacity  or  power  adequate  to  the 
  production  of  a  given  effect;  energy;  strength;  potency; 
  efficacy;  as  the  virtue  of  a  medicine. 
 
  Jesus,  immediately  knowing  in  himself  that  virtue 
  had  gone  out  of  him  turned  him  about  --Mark  v.  30. 
 
  A  man  was  driven  to  depend  for  his  security  against 
  misunderstanding,  upon  the  pure  virtue  of  his 
  syntax.  --De  Quincey. 
 
  The  virtue  of  his  midnight  agony.  --Keble. 
 
  3.  Energy  or  influence  operating  without  contact  of  the 
  material  or  sensible  substance. 
 
  She  moves  the  body  which  she  doth  possess,  Yet  no 
  part  toucheth  but  by  virtue's  touch.  --Sir.  J. 
  Davies. 
 
  4.  Excellence;  value;  merit;  meritoriousness;  worth. 
 
  I  made  virtue  of  necessity.  --Chaucer. 
 
  In  the  Greek  poets,  .  .  .  the  economy  of  poems  is 
  better  observed  than  in  Terence,  who  thought  the 
  sole  grace  and  virtue  of  their  fable  the  sticking  in 
  of  sentences.  --B.  Jonson 
 
  5.  Specifically,  moral  excellence;  integrity  of  character; 
  purity  of  soul;  performance  of  duty. 
 
  Virtue  only  makes  our  bliss  below.  --Pope. 
 
  If  there's  Power  above  us  And  that  there  is  all 
  nature  cries  aloud  Through  all  her  works  he  must 
  delight  in  virtue.  --Addison. 
 
  6.  A  particular  moral  excellence;  as  the  virtue  of 
  temperance,  of  charity,  etc  ``The  very  virtue  of 
  compassion.''  --Shak.  ``Remember  all  his  virtues.'' 
  --Addison. 
 
  7.  Specifically:  Chastity;  purity;  especially,  the  chastity 
  of  women;  virginity. 
 
  H.  I  believe  the  girl  has  virtue.  M.  And  if  she  has 
  I  should  be  the  last  man  in  the  world  to  attempt  to 
  corrupt  it  --Goldsmith. 
 
  8.  pl  One  of  the  orders  of  the  celestial  hierarchy. 
 
  Thrones,  dominations,  princedoms,  virtues,  powers. 
  --Milton. 
 
  {Cardinal  virtues}.  See  under  {Cardinal},  a. 
 
  {In},  or  {By},  {virtue  of},  through  the  force  of  by 
  authority  of  ``He  used  to  travel  through  Greece  by  virtue 
  of  this  fable,  which  procured  him  reception  in  all  the 
  towns.''  --Addison.  ``This  they  shall  attain,  partly  in 
  virtue  of  the  promise  made  by  God,  and  partly  in  virtue  of 
  piety.''  --Atterbury. 
 
  {Theological  virtues},  the  three  virtues,  faith,  hope,  and 
  charity.  See  --1  Cor.  xiii.  13. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  virtue 
  n  1:  the  quality  of  doing  what  is  right  and  avoiding  what  is 
  wrong  [syn:  {virtuousness},  {moral  excellence}] 
  2:  any  admirable  quality  or  attribute;  "work  of  great  merit" 
  [syn:  {merit}]  [ant:  {demerit}] 
  3:  morality  with  respect  to  sexual  relations  [syn:  {chastity}, 
  {sexual  morality}] 
  4:  a  particular  moral  excellence




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