English
virtuous
Virtuous comes from Late Latin virtuōsus ‘good, virtuous’, 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 CEvirtūs‘virtue, goodness’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEvirtuōsus‘good, virtuous’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400vertuous
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1961virtuous
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 CEvirtūs‘virtue, goodness’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEvirtuōsus‘good, virtuous’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400vertuous
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1961virtuous
Earliest quotation: 1961, Joseph Heller, The Soldier in White: “Her virtuous, pale-blue, saucerlike eyes flooded with leviathan tears…”
Equivalent to virtue + -ous
Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to hunt’
…
Latin vir ‘man’
Latin virtus ‘manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence’
Anglo-Norman vertu
Middle English vertu ‘Medical or pharmaceutical ability’
English virtue
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, 57 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós ‘man’
through Latin vir ‘man, male’
Today it means
adj Full of virtue; having excellent moral character.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós / virtuous