virtue

[vur-choo] /ˈvɜr tʃu/
noun
1.
moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.
2.
conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.
3.
chastity; virginity:
to lose one's virtue.
4.
a particular moral excellence.
Compare cardinal virtues, natural virtue, theological virtue.
5.
a good or admirable quality or property:
the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.
6.
effective force; power or potency:
a charm with the virtue of removing warts.
7.
virtues, an order of angels.
Compare angel (def 1).
8.
manly excellence; valor.
Idioms
9.
by / in virtue of, by reason of; because of:
to act by virtue of one's legitimate authority.
10.
make a virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.
Origin
1175-1225; alteration (with i < Latin) of Middle English vertu < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin virtūt- (stem of virtūs) maleness, worth, virtue, equivalent to vir man (see virile) + -tūt- abstract noun suffix
Related forms
virtueless, adjective
virtuelessness, noun
nonvirtue, noun
Synonyms
1. See goodness. 2. probity, integrity.
Antonyms
1. vice.
British Dictionary definitions for by virtue of

virtue

/ˈvɜːtjuː; -tʃuː/
noun
1.
the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness
2.
a particular moral excellence: the virtue of tolerance
3.
any of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) or theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity)
4.
any admirable quality, feature, or trait
5.
chastity, esp in women
6.
(archaic) an effective, active, or inherent power or force
7.
by virtue of, in virtue of, on account of or by reason of
8.
make a virtue of necessity, to acquiesce in doing something unpleasant with a show of grace because one must do it in any case
Derived Forms
virtueless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: vertu, from Old French, from Latin virtūs manliness, courage, from vir man
Word Origin and History for by virtue of

virtue

n.

early 13c., "moral life and conduct, moral excellence," vertu, from Anglo-French and Old French vertu, from Latin virtutem (nominative virtus) "moral strength, manliness, valor, excellence, worth," from vir "man" (see virile).

For my part I honour with the name of virtue the habit of acting in a way troublesome to oneself and useful to others. [Stendhal "de l'Amour," 1822]
Phrase by virtue of (early 13c.) preserves alternative Middle English sense of "efficacy." Wyclif Bible has virtue where KJV uses power. The seven cardinal virtues (early 14c.) were divided into the natural (justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude) and the theological (hope, faith, charity). To make a virtue of a necessity (late 14c.) translates Latin facere de necessitate virtutem [Jerome].

Idioms and Phrases with by virtue of

by virtue of

Also in virtue of. On the grounds of, by reason of, as in By virtue of a large inheritance she could easily afford not to work. [ Early 1300s ]

virtue

see: