Where does “vertu” come from?

Vertu comes from Italian virtù, from Italian virtute, from Latin virtus meaning manly excellence or courage, derived from Latin vir meaning man, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós.

vertu (English): The fine arts as a subject of study or expertise;...

Definitions

  1. The fine arts as a subject of study or expertise;...

Ancestry of “vertu”, step by step

vertu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French vertu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchvertuvirtue
2Middle Frenchvertuvirtue
3Old Frenchvertuvalour; honour; goodness; virtue
4Latinvirtūsmanhood, manliness, virility
5EnglishvirtueAccordance with moral principles; conformity of...
6Middle EnglishvertuAn ability, specialty, or feature; Power,...
7Anglo-Normanvertuvalour; honour; goodness; virtue
8Latinvirtutemaccusative singular of virtūs; virtue
9Latinvirtusmanhood, manliness, virility; courage,...
10Latinvirman in the sense of "adult male human"; adult,...
11Proto-Italicwirosa man
12Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
13Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

via Italian virtù

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianvirtùvirtue; power
2Italianvirtute
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁-Every word from Proto-Indo-European wiHrósEvery word from Proto-Italic wiros