virtue: Meaning and Definition of

vir•tue

Pronunciation: (vûr'ch), [key]
— n.
  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. Cf.
  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. an order of angels. Cf.(def. 1).
  8. manly excellence; valor.
  9. by reason of; because of: to act by virtue of one's legitimate authority.
  10. to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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