English
virtue
Virtue comes from Latin virtus ‘manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence’, from vir ‘man’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to hunt’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyh₁-‘to hunt’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wiHrós‘man’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiros‘a man’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvir‘man’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvirtus‘manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400vertu
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘Medical or pharmaceutical ability’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667virtue
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyh₁-‘to hunt’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wiHrós‘man’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiros‘a man’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvir‘man’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvirtus‘manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400vertu
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘Medical or pharmaceutical ability’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667virtue
Earliest quotation: 1667, John Milton, Book X: “Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers; / For in possession…”
The story
In this sense, displaced Old English cræft, whence Modern English craft.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to hunt’
previous, obvious, violent, violation, inevitable, voyage, convey, vengeance, violate, envoy, trivial, avenge, trivia, deviation, vis, venison, deviant, vindication, ochre, viaduct, vim, violator, inviolable, trivium, obviate, 57 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós ‘man’
through Latin vir ‘man’
Today it means
noun The idea of all that is good or excellent (in every sense of those terms) in a human being, collectively instantiated by a varying number of human traits known as "the virtues", the enumeration of which vary by the many virtue systems which have developed within different cultures, religions, and historical periods.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- / virtue