Dictionary Virtue

  1. moral excellence; uprightness, goodness.
  2. a particular form of this (wisdom is a virtue).
  3. chastity.
  4. a good quality (has the virtue of being adjustable).
  5. efficacy; inherent power (no virtue in such drugs).
  6. personified as a deity (Goddess Virtue).

Greek: aretê [a^], hê.

Latin: virtus -tutis, from vir 'man'.

Aretê

  1. goodness, excellence, of any kind,
      1. in Homer especialy of manly qualities, Hom. Il. 20.411, Hom. Il. 15.642;
      2. so of the Gods, Hom. Il. 9.498;
      3. also of women, Hom. Od. 2.206;
      4. aretê heineka for valor, Hdt. 8.92:
      5. plural, displayed brave deeds, Hdt. 1.176, Hdt. 9.40.
      6. later, of the Gods, chiefly in plural, glorious deeds, wonders, miracles, SIG1172, Str.17.1.17; IG14.966, cf. 1 Ep.Pet.2.9: also in singular, IG2.1426b, cf. Isyll. 62, BSA21.169,BSA 21.180.
    1. generally, excellence, Aristot. Met. 1021b20, cf.Aristot. Nic. Eth. 1106a15, etc.;
      1. of persons, Pind. O. 1.89, cf. Pind. P. 4.187, Bacchyl. 9.13, etc.; Heraclit. 112:
        1. in plural, forms of excellence, Bacchyl. 13.8, cf. Gorg. Fr.8, etc.; Plat. Apol. 18a;
        2. especialy moral virtue, Democr. 179, Democr. 263, al., Gorg.Fr.6;
        3. good nature, kindness, etc., E.Fr.163.
      2. of animals, things, as land, Hdt. 4.198, Hdt. 7.5, Thuc. 1.2;
        1. productive land, PTeb.5.165 (II B.C.E.); Hdt. 3.88; Plat. Rep. 335b; Plat. Rep. 601d; Archestr.Fr.24; Plat. Rep. 618c; Plat. Laws 886b, etc.
    2. prosperity, Hom. Od. 13.45.
  2. active merit, good service, Thuc. 3.58, cf. Thuc. 2.40; Xen. Anab. 1.4.8; Thuc. 4.19; Dem. 19.312;
    1. aretês heneka, frequently in honorary Inscriptions, IG22.107.14, etc.
  3. reward of excellence, distinction, fame, Hes. WD 313, cf. Sapph.80, Pind. N. 5.53, al.; Soph. Phil. 1420, Plat. Sym. 208d; Lyc. 1.49;
    1. in plural, glories, Thgn.30, Pind. N. 10.2, al.; Pind. O. 2.53; Eur. Her. 357 (lyr.), cf. Lys. 2.26; Plat. Rep. 618b .
  4. Aretê personified, Prodic.1, Arist.Fr.675, Callix.2, CIG2786, SIG 985.10, etc.
  5. hê aretê sou as a title, Your worship, PLips.13 ii 20, etc.
  6. Aretê as an engine of war, Ath.Mech.38.11.
  7. Aretê as a plaster, Androm.ap.Gal.13.531.

Virtûs, ûtis

  1. feminine [vir], manliness, manhood, i. e. the sum of all the corporeal or mental excellences of man, strength, vigor; bravery, courage; aptness, capacity; worth, excellence, virtue, etc.: virtus clara aeternaque habetur, Sall. C. 1, 4: ni virtus fidesque vostra spectata mihi forent, id. ib. 20, 2; id. J. 74, 1.
    1. (genitive plural virtutium, App. Mag. 73; Paul. Nol. Carm. 10, 34; dative and ablative VIRTVTEI, Inscr. Corp. Lat. 1, 30 and 34)
  2. In general:
    1. Lit.: ita fiet, ut animi virtus corporis virtuti anteponatur, Cic. Fin. 5, 13, 38: his virtutibus ornatus, modestiâ, temperantiâ, justitiâ, id. Off. 1, 15, 46; cf.: virtutes continentiae, gravitatis, justitiae, fidei, id. Mur. 10.23: virtus atque integritas, id. Font. 13.29: oratoris vis divina virtusque, id. de Or. 2, 27, 120.--
    2. Transf., of animals, and of inanimate or abstract things, goodness, worth, value, power, strength, etc.: nam nec arboris, nec equi virtus (in quo abutimur nomine) in opinione sita est, sed in naturâ, Cic. Leg. 1, 16, 45: praedium-solo bono, suâ virtute valeat, Cato, R. R. 1, 2: merci pretium statui, pro virtute ut veneat, Plaut. Mil. 3.1.131: navium, Liv. 37, 24, 1: ferri, Just. 11, 13, 11: herbarum, Ov. Met. 14.357: oratoriae virtutes, Cic. Brut. 17, 65: oratio habet virtutes tres, Quint. 1, 5, 1: dicendi (opp. vitium), id. 8, praef. § 17: facundiae, id. 12, 3, 9.--
  3. In particular:
    1. In the phrase deûm virtute, usu. with dicam, by the aid or merit of the Gods, i. e. the Gods be thanked (anteclass), Plaut. Trin. 2.2.65: virtute deûm et majorum nostrûm, id. Aul. 2.1.44; id. Capt. 2.2.71 dub.; cf. id. Mil. 3.1.85 and 90; so virtute eorum (i. e. majorum), id. Trin. 3.2.17.--
    2. Moral perfection, virtuousness, virtue.
      1. Lit.: est autem virtus nihil aliud quam in se perfecta et ad summum perducta natura, Cic. Leg. 1, 8, 25: virtus est animi habitus naturae modo rationi consentaneus, id. Inv. 2, 53, 159: cum omnes rectae animi affectiones virtutes appellentur ... Appellata est ex viro virtus, etc., id. Tusc. 2, 18, 43; id. Inv. 2, 53, 159: nec vero habere virtutem satis est quasi artem aliquam, nisi utare ... virtus in usu sui tota posita est, id. Rep. 1, 2, 2: est in eo virtus et probitas et summum officium summaque observantia, id. Fam. 13, 28, a, 2.--
      2. Transf., Virtue, personified as a deity, Cic. N. D. 2, 23, 61; 2, 31, 79; id. Leg. 2, 8, 19; 2, 11, 28; id. Phil. 14.13.34; Plaut. Am. prol. 42; Liv. 27, 25, 7; 29, 11, 13; Juv. 1, 115 al.--
    3. Military talents, courage, valor, bravery, gallantry, fortitude (synonym fortitudo), etc.: Helvetii reliquos Gallos virtute praecedunt, quod fere cottidianis proeliis cum Germanis contendunt, Caes. B. G. 1.1; cf. id. ib. 1.2; 1, 13: militum, Sall. J. 52, 6; 62, 1: Claudi virtute Neronis Armenius cecidit, Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 26: Scipiadae, id. S. 2, 1, 72; cf. id. Epod. 9, 26; 16, 5; id. C. 2.7.11.--
    4. Obstinacy: iniqua, Stat. Th. 11, 1.

See also

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