Where does “virtue” come from?
virtue (Middle English) comes from Middle English vertu, from Anglo-Norman vertu, from Latin virtutem, from Latin virtus, from Latin vir, from Proto-Italic wiros, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.
virtue (Middle English): Alternative form of vertu
Definitions
- Alternative form of vertu
Ancestry of “virtue”, step by step
virtue traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English vertu
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vertu | An ability, specialty, or feature; Power,... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | vertu | valour; honour; goodness; virtue |
| 3 | Latin | virtutem | accusative singular of virtūs; virtue |
| 4 | Latin | virtus | manhood, manliness, virility; courage,... |
| 5 | Latin | vir | man in the sense of "adult male human"; adult,... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | wiros | a man |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |
via Old French virtu
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | virtu | — |