English
virtùous
Virtùous comes from Italian virtù ‘virtue’, from Latin vir ‘man, male’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wiHrós‘man’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiros‘a man’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvir‘man, male’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvirtūsas virtūtem‘virtue, goodness’
- Italianc. 1300–presentvirtù‘virtue’
- Englishearliest quotation 1995virtùous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wiHrós‘man’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiros‘a man’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvir‘man, male’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvirtūsas virtūtem‘virtue, goodness’
- Italianc. 1300–presentvirtù‘virtue’
- Englishearliest quotation 1995virtùous
Earliest quotation: 1995, Diana Schaub: “For instance, in his virtùous retelling of the David…”
Formed from virtù + ous
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to chase, pursue’
previous, violent, obvious, violation, inevitable, voyage, convey, vengeance, violate, envoy, trivial, trivia, avenge, deviation, vis, venison, deviant, vindication, ochre, viaduct, vim, violator, inviolable, trivium, obviate, 53 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós ‘man’
through Latin vir ‘man, male’
virile, virility, virago, 4 more
through Latin virtūs ‘virtue, goodness’
virtual, virtue, virtuoso, virtuous, 2 more
through Italian virtù ‘virtue’
Today it means
adj Involving the cleverness and understanding to accomplish one's goals.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós / virtùous