▪ I. virtue, n.
(ˈvɜːtjuː)
Forms: α. 3–6 uertu, vertu (4 vertw-, vartu), 3–8 (9 Sc.) vertue (4 uertue, 5 vertuwe), 4–5 wertu (5 wertw-); 4–7 verteu, 4–6 vertew (4 -ewe), 5– 7 wertew (5 -ewe); 4 ver-, wertow, 5 wertou-, 9 north. dial. varter, Sc. verter. β. 3–4 uirtu, 4–5, 7 virtu, 6– virtue; 6 virtew.
[a. AF. and OF. vertu (F. vertu, = It. virtù, Sp. virtud, Pg. virtude), ad. L. virtūt-, virtus manliness, valour, worth, etc., f. vir man.]
I. As a quality of persons.
1. a. The power or operative influence inherent in a supernatural or divine being. Now arch. or Obs.
| c 1250 Kent. Serm. in O. Eng. Misc. 30 Besech ure lorde þet he do ine þe his uertu. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5852 ‘Pers’, he seyd, ‘..þou art weyl with Ihesu; He sheweþ for þe grete vertu.’ 1338 ― Chron. (1810) 184 If ȝour God be so clere, & of so grete vertewe, As ȝe precne oft tide. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1391 For though so be that Mars is god of Armes Youre vertu is so greet in heuene aboue That [etc.]. a 1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula, etc. 37 Þat it [Bubo] may neuer be cured..but if it plese god..for to help wiþ his vnspekeable vertu. a 1450 Mirk's Festial 6 Hopyng þat þe vertu of Cryst schull put away his temptacyon. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 19/2 After the passion of Jhesu Cryst..he was transported from Infirmyte to Vertu. 1557 N.T. (Genev.) Epist. *iiii, In his owne vertue he rose agayne. 1570 T. Norton tr. Nowel's Catech. 25 b, All things would runne to ruine, and fall to nothyng, vnlesse by hys vertue, & as it were by hys hand, they were vpholden. 1594 Drayton Idea 489 All unclean Thoughts, foule Spirits cast out in mee, Onely by Vertue that proceeds from thee. 1655 Stanley Hist. Philos. I. i. 14 That the world is animated, and that God is the soul thereof,..whose divine moving vertue penetrats through the element of water. 1738 Wesley Ps. lxxx. xx, Look on them with thy flaming Eyes, The Sin-consuming Virtue dart. 1850 Neale Med. Hymns (1867) 27 Michael, who in princely virtue Cast Abaddon from on high. |
b. An embodiment of such power; esp. pl., one of the orders of the celestial hierarchy.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 19523 Godds virtu or gret prophet, Or angel elles þai him let. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1125 Þe steuen moȝt stryke þurȝ þe vrþe to helle, Þat þe vertues of heuen of Ioye endyte. 1382 Wyclif Mark xiii. 25 Vertues that be in heuenes, schulen be mouyd. 1398 Trevisa De P.R. ii. xvi. (1495) c j b/2 The seuenth ordre [of angels] is Vertues. 1533 Gau Richt Vay 4 And siclik thay dremit and maid innumerabil pouers and vertus and laid to siclik orisons. 1575 Timme tr. Marlorat's Expos. John 146/2 Hee hath committed these partes in charge, to the Angell. For the which cause the Angelles are called, powers, or vertues. 1584 R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. xv. ii. (1886) 315 Two and twentie legions of divels, partlie of the order of vertues, & partlie of the order of thrones. 1620 Quarles Pentæologia, Gloria Cœli 13 Where troups of Powers, Vertues, Cherubins,..Are chaunting praises to their heauenly King. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 460 Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers. a 1711 Ken Hymnotheo Poet. Wks. 1721 III. 200 Virtues, who turn the orbs celestial round. 1812 Cary Dante, Par. xxviii. 113 Dominations first; next them, Virtues; and powers the third. 1880 Encycl. Brit. XI. 792/1. |
† c. An act of superhuman or divine power; a ‘mighty work’; a miracle. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 19566 (Edin.), Þe haligaste, it was sa gode, þate þa men þat it undirfange moȝte do suilc uirtuz and sua strange. c 1305 St. Christopher 127 in E.E.P. (1862) 63 On such god, he seide, ȝe schulde bileoue: þat such virtu mai do. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints x. (Matthew) 232, I traste þat þu ma do þe sammyne-lyke vertu fore his sake. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xi. 20 Thanne Ihesus began for to seie repreue to citees, in whiche ful manye vertues of hym ben don. c 1400 Apol. Loll. (Camden) 28 Crist in a coost of þe Jewes miȝt not do ani vertu þer, for þe vntrouþ. 1526 Tindale Mark vi. 2 What wysdom is this that is geven vnto him? and such vertues that are wrought by his hondes? |
2. a. Conformity of life and conduct with the principles of morality; voluntary observance of the recognized moral laws or standards of right conduct; abstention on moral grounds from any form of wrong-doing or vice.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 268 Nu hit is vertu..uor to wakien, uor hit greueð þe. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 7 Tho was vertu sett above And vice was put under fote. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 206 So vertue wolde fflowe whan vicis were ebbid. c 1410 Hoccleve Mother of God 9 Modir of mercy,..Þat of al vertu art superlatyf. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop iv. xx, The roote of alle vertue is obedynce and humylyte. 1531 Elyot Gov. ii. x, If vertue be an election annexed unto our nature, and consisteth in a meane, which is determined by reason. 1545 Brinklow Lament. 79 Reformacion or redresse..wherby to expulse vice, and encreace vertu. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. ii. 71 b, [They] haue enclined, & finally returned vnto their naturall and primitiue vertue. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. i. i. ii. xi, The principall Habits are two in number, Vertue, and Vice. 1655 Stanley Hist. Philos. I. iii. 107 He describes morall vertu in his discourses and writings. 1691 Hartcliffe Virtues 9 There were also those, who taught, That Virtue was that excellent thing, in which we should find our chiefest Good. 1736 Butler Anal. i. iii. §4 Virtue consists in a regard to what is right and reasonable, as being so; in a regard to veracity, justice, charity, in themselves. 1751 Chatham Lett. Nephew ii. 7 Lessons of honour, courage,..humanity, and in one word, virtue in its true signification. 1791 Burke Corr. (1844) III. 200 Vice is never so odious..as when it usurps and disgraces the natural place of virtue. 1828 Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 89 He thinks that to propose a reward for virtue is to render virtue impossible. 1850 F. W. Robertson Lect. 73 That alone is virtue which has good placed before it and evil, and seeing the evil, chooses the good. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 179 Unless we know whether virtue is one or many, we shall hardly know what virtue is. |
| phr. [1669 Dryden Tyrannic Love ii. i, To follow Vertue, as its own reward.] 1697 Vanbrugh Relapse v. iii, Virtue is its own Reward: There's a Pleasure in doing good, which sufficiently pays it self. 1756 Home Douglas iii. i. 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl., To D. Lewis 12 June, I shall be content with the reflection, that virtue is its own reward. 1850 Smedley F. Fairlegh xxxviii, Supposing this iniquitous engagement..broken off by your exertions, is Virtue to be its own reward? |
b. Personified, or regarded as an entity.
| 1402 Hoccleve Let. Cupid 457 Vertu so digne is and so noble in kynde, That Vice and she wol not in feere abide. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 2074 Then may ye say ye have a sure staff To..walke by the waye of Vertu hys loore. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. xx, If ever Vertue tooke a bodie to shewe his (else unconceaveable) beautie. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 63 That loue which Vertue begges, and Vertue graunts. 1607 Dekker Northw. Hoe v. Wks 1873 III. 73 Virtue glories not in the spoil, but in the victory. 1660 N. Ingelo Bentiv. & Ur. ii. (1682) 68 If Virtue be so happy when it is afflicted. 1692 Prior Ode Imit. Horace viii, Virtue is her own Reward, With solid Beams and Native Glory bright. 1726–46 Thomson Winter 1039 Virtue sole survives, Immortal never-failing friend of man. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. 108 But on he moves to meet his latter end, Angels around befriending Virtue's friend. 1799 Campbell Pleas. Hope i. 530 So Virtue dies, the spouse of Liberty! 1818 Coleridge Friend (1865) 72 A wound in feelings which virtue herself has fostered. 1860 All Year Round No. 64. 322 Man may bow before virtue, but virtue never bows before man. |
c. spec. Chastity, sexual purity, esp. on the part of women. of easy virtue: see easy a. 12.
| 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 84 Hero it selfe can blot out Heroes vertue. 1706 Estcourt Fair Example v. i, Ne'er let the fair one boast of Virtue prov'd Till she has well refus'd the Man she lov'd. 1740 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. xiv. 252, I say not this..to excuse the lady's fall: Nothing can do that; because virtue is..preferable to all considerations. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones ii. iii, That order of females whose faces are taken as a kind of security for their virtue. 1819 Shelley Peter Bell 3rd iii. viii, There are mincing women, mewing..Of their own virtue. 1885 Mabel Collins Prettiest Woman ii, She played the woman of virtue—and played it well. |
| transf. 1845 M{supc}Culloch Taxation i. iv. (1852) 121 The tax will then fall with its full weight upon men of integrity, while the millionaire of ‘easy virtue’ may well-nigh escape it altogether. |
d. Sc. Industry, diligence. rare.
| 1546 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 757/2 Quhairthrow all virtew and marchandice within the said burgh is abusit, ceissit and dekeyit. 1641 Sc. Acts, Chas. I (1817) V. 657/2 It is necessar that in everie schyre at leist thair be ane schooll or hous of vertue erected. Ibid. 658/2 Any parcellis of cloth, seyis, &c.,..made in the saidis houses of vertew. 1803 Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) I. xi. 386 In many parts of Scotland the word virtue is limited entirely to industry. |
3. a. With a and pl. A particular moral excellence; a special manifestation of the influence of moral principles in life or conduct.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 368 Þet oðer þing is..deuociun, reoufulnesse, merci, pite of heorte.., edmodnesse, & oðre swuche uertuz. c 1230 Hali Meid. 13 Þis is ȝet þe uertu þat halt..ure feble flesch.. in hal halinesse. a 1300 Cursor M. 571 Alle virtus has [that] saul i-wis, þat vte o sin vnsaked is. a 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 71, I wole þe teche, Faire uertuz for to take And foule þewes to forsake. 1377 Langl., P. Pl. B. xi. 370 Suffraunce is a souereygne vertue. c 1400 Destr. Troy 4017 Ho..voidet all vanities, & virtus dissyret. 1422 Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 147 The beste good of all is good of vertues and grace. c 1440 Jacob's Well 82 Oþere synnes arn contrarye to on vertew, as pride is contrarye to lownesse. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 2 All maner of goostly matter, concernynge the perfeccyon of graces and vertues. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xxiii. (Arb.) 274 The word became not..her sex, whose chiefe vertue is shamefastnesse. 1601 Shakes. All's Well iv. iii. 84 Our crimes would dispaire if they were not cherish'd by our vertues. 1644 Milton Areop. (Arb.) 44 How great a vertue is temperance, how much of moment through the whole life of man? 1682 Bunyan Greatness of Soul Wks. 1853 I. 138 It is a sport now to some to taunt and squib and deride at other men's virtues. 1705 Stanhope Paraphr. III. 207 They confess too, that Self-Denial is a Christian Vertue. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. II. xxviii. 136 Courage, preferably to equity or justice, was the virtue most valued. 1797 Godwin Enquirer i. ii. 9 Human virtues without discrimination are no virtues. 1835 Thirlwall Greece I. 321 Thousands..proclaimed the virtues of the deceased prince superior to those of all his predecessors. 1865 Lubbock Preh. Times xiv. (1869) 553 Neither faith, hope, nor charity enters into the virtues of a savage. |
| transf. 1680 Morden Geog. Rect., China (1685) 423 Their chief practice or special Virtues are Theft, Murder and Adultery. 1719 Young Busiris i. i, When rage and rancour are the proper virtues, And loss of reason is the mark of men. 1820 Byron Mar. Fal. iv. ii, But they were not aware that there are things Which make revenge a virtue by reflection. |
b. In enumerations of certain moral qualities regarded as of special excellence or importance, as the four cardinal virtues (see cardinal a. 2), the three theological virtues (see theological a. 1), or the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly sins.
| c 1320 Cast. Love 827 Þat beþ þe seuen vertues wiþ winne To ouercome þe seuen dedly sinne. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 5 Þe metynge of þe þre waies of þe þre vertues of deuynyte, and þe metynge of foure weies of þe foure chief vertues. c 1400 Cursor M. 25391 (Cott. Galba), Now haue I sayd þir askinges seuyn..whilk seuyn vertuse vntill us wins, and als fordose seuyn dedly sins. 1411–2 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 4755 Prudence, attemperance, strengthe, and right, Tho foure ben vertues principal. c 1425 Cast. Persev. 1694 Þe seuene synnys I forsake & to þese vij vertuis I me tak. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 7 The twa principal vertewes callit Faith and Hoip. 1590 Spenser Let. W. Raleigh in F.Q. Pref., The twelve private Morall Vertues, as Aristotle devised. 1693 D'Emilianne's Hist. Monast. Orders 249 Of the Order of the ten Virtues, or Delights of the Virgin Mary, called also of the Annunciade. 1753 Challoner Cath. Chr. Instr. 2 To nourish..in our Souls the three Divine Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. |
c. all the Virtues, a name given to the Opposition in the House of Commons in 1815–16.
On the model of ‘All the Talents’ applied to the Grenville Ministry of 1806–7: see talent n. 6 d.
| 1816 Sir G. Bingham Lett. 1 Jan., in Cornh. Mag. (1900) Jan. 34 Bonaparte..has heard that ‘All the Virtues’, with Sir Francis Burdett at their head, were to advocate his cause and recall. |
d. A personified moral quality, or a representation of this in painting, sculpture, etc.
| 1851 E. J. Millington tr. Didron's Chr. Iconogr. I. 84 Each Virtue bears a characteristic attribute... Liberty, like..the twelve sister Virtues..is decorated with a large nimbus. 1885 J. R. Allen Early Chr. Symbolism 277 Crowned figures armed with shields..to symbolise the Virtues trampling on the Vices overcome. |
4. a. to make (a) virtue of necessity (or † need), to do with apparent willingness, or as if performing a meritorious action, what one in reality cannot help doing; to submit to circumstances with a good grace.
After OF. faire de necessité vertu, L. facere de necessitate virtutem (Jerome In Rufinum 3, n. 2).
| (a) c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iv. 1586 Thus makeþ vertue of necessite By paciens, and þenk þat lord is he Of fortune ay, þat nought wole of here recche. c 1386 ― Sqr's. T. 593 That I made vertu of necessitee And took it wel syn þat it moste bee. 1411–2 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1252 Make of necessite, reed I vertu; For better rede can I non. c 1480 Henryson Test. Cresseid 478, I counsall the mak vertew of ane neid. 1578 Whetstone 2nd Pt. Promos & Cass. v. v, Good Maddame way, by lawe, your Lord doth dye, Wherefore make vertue of necessity. 1646 Earl of Monmouth tr. Biondi's Civil Wars v. 115 Villandras weighing the danger made vertue of necessity, hee went to Toulosse. 1652 J. Wright tr. Camus' Nat. Paradox x. 245 However, I will have patience, and making Vertue of Necessity, I will forbear. |
| (b) 1583 T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. i. 28 b, They were enforced to behaue themselues..and of necessitie, to make a vertue. 1588 Greene Pandosto (1607) 10 Shee was faine to make a vertue of her neede. 1614 Day Festivals x. (1615) 297, I wil make a Vertue of this Necessitie. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 46 They make a vertue of that necessity. 1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin ii. ix. 144 Their Modern Doctors, whom the Arguments of the Protestants have compelled to make a Vertue of Necessity. a 1708 [see necessity n. 5]. 1764 tr. Gil Blas i. v. I. 21 And making a virtue of necessity, I put the best face I could upon it, and went about the work she set me upon. 1837 [see necessity n. 5]. 1980 ‘J. Melville’ Chrysanthemum Chain 38 We'll make a virtue of necessity. I'll take charge of the case myself. |
b. to make a virtue of, to make a merit of, to gain credit by.
| 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xiii, Mat, who saw Furlong was near the mark, thought he might..make a virtue of telling him. |
5. a. Superiority or excellence, unusual ability, merit, or distinction, in some respect.
| 1382 Wyclif Wisd. x. 2 God..ladde hym out fro his gilte,..and ȝaf to hym vertue of hauynge alle thingus. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 18 Now shal men se Yf any vertu in the be To tel al my dreme aryght. c 1400 Brut i. 229 Miche peple wer out of here mynde, & God haþ sent ham her mynde aȝeyn þrouȝ vertu of þat holy martr'. c 1450 Holland Houlate 264 Thir fowlis..weraly awysit, full of wirtewe, The maner, the mater, and how it remanyt. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 162 Thow hes walkit, I wis, in mony wyld land, The mair vertew thow suld haue, to keip the fra blame. 1484 Caxton Fables of Auian xii, For what vertue that ony man hath none oughte to preyse hym self. 1602 Speght's Chaucer (ed. 2) c iv, Vertue flourisheth in Chaucer still, Though death of him hath wrought his will. 1631 Markham Cheap Husb. (ed. 6) i. ii. 10 Our English Gentry..aime for the most part at no more skill than the riding of a ridden and perfect horse, which is but onely the setting forth of another mans vertue. 1828 Macaulay Ess., Hallam's Constit. Hist. (1897) 85 That unsparing impartiality which is his [sc. Hallam's] most distinguishing virtue. |
b. An accomplishment. Now rare or Obs.
| 15.. Aberdeen Reg. (Jam.), The singeir to pas & remane in Pareis for ane yeir to ler wertews. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iii. i. 313 Sp. Item, she can wash and scoure. La. A speciall vertue. 1608 ― Per. iv. vi. 195 Proclaim that I can sing, weave, sew, and dance, With other virtues, which I'll keep from boast. 1615 Markham (title), The English Hus-Wife, Contayning, The inward and outward vertues which ought to be in a compleat woman. As, her skill in Physicke,..Cookery, [etc.]. 1656 Duchess of Newcastle True Relation in Life (1886) 280 Tutors..for all sorts of virtues, as singing, dancing, playing on music, reading, writing, working, and the like. 1808 Scott Autobiog. in Lockhart i. (1842) 4/1 Robert sung agreeably—(a virtue which was never seen in me). |
c. = virtu 1. rare.
| 1709 Tatler No. 38 ¶12 He has by rote, and at second⁓hand, all that can be said of any man of figure, wit, and virtue in town. 1828 Edin. Rev. XLVIII. 61 The Italians commonly call a taste for the fine arts, or skill in them, by the name of Virtue. |
† 6. a. Physical strength, force, or energy. Obs.
Common a 1325–1420 as a rendering of L. virtus.
| a 1325 Prose Psalter xxviii. 10 Our Lord shal ȝeue vertu to his folk. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxxii. 16 Geaunt sall noght be safe in multitude of his vertu. 1382 Wyclif Luke x. 19, I hau ȝouun to ȝou power of..tredinge, on serpents, and scorpiouns, and on al the vertu of the enemy. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 9291 He myȝt not wel his breth blowe, He was In poynt to ouer-throwe; His vertu hadde he clene lore. 1422 Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 242 Hit servyth to the stomake and to the entraill, and than thay gederith hare streynth and vertu, wyche was amenuset and febelit. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. ix. 76 Þou art oure helpe, our vertu, & our strengþe. c 1500 Melusine xxx. 226 He..smote Zelodius vpon his helmet, by suche strengthe & vertue that he made hym to enclyne vpon his hors neck. |
† b. An armed force. Obs. rare.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Macc. i. 4 And he gadride vertu, and ful stronge oost. Ibid. xiii. 54 And Symont seeȝ Joon, his sone, that he was a man of bateil, and he putte hym duyk of alle vertues. |
† c. Flourishing state or condition. Obs.
| c 1400 Three Kings Cologne (1886) 8 Whan þe citee of Acon..florisshed and stode in his vertue, Ioye and prosperite. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop iii. xvi, He that gouerneth not wel his bely withe grete payne he may hold the other lymmes in theyr strengthe and vertue. |
7. The possession or display of manly qualities; manly excellence, manliness, courage, valour.
In later use tending to pass into sense 2.
| 13.. Coer de L. 2810 A baroun of gret vertewe. a 1400–50 Alexander 5324 Quat may þi vertu now a-vaile & all þine vayn pride? c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 1092 Syres, put no dowte, Vertu shall retorne & haue hys entente. Thys felde shalbe our. c 1450 Merlin xxxii. 656 The Bretouns hem diffended as peple of grete vertu. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. Froiss. I. cxcii. 228 The lord Pynnand his company defended themself by great vertue. 1549 Compl. Scotl. Ep. 2 Quhar for ȝour heroyque vertu is of mair admiratione. 1579 Fenton Guicciard. ii. 104 The bastard of Burbon was made prisoner, notwithstanding he fought with great vertue. Ibid. Yet his vertue defended his person. a 1668 R. Lassels Voy. Italy (1698) II. 86 Marius..from a common soldier came by his warlike vertue to be seven times consul. 1710 Shaftesbury Advice to Author ii. §1. 67 They [sc. the Muses] were more to him than his Arms or military Virtue. 1758 Johnson Let. to B. Langton 21 Sept. in Boswell, A man that languishes with disease, ends his life with more pain, but with less virtue. 1817 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. iv. ii. 70 The English were called upon for the utmost exertions of their virtue. |
II. As a quality of things.
8. In the prepositional phrases in or by (also † through or with) virtue of, by the power or efficacy of (something aiding or justifying); hence, in later use, by the authority of, in reliance upon, in consequence of, because of. (Cf. 10 e.)
| (a) c 1230 Hali Meid. 13 Engel & meiden beon euening in uertu of meidenhades mihte. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 18 Þe Kyng with þe maistrie went in to þe toun, Þe pris he had wonnen in vertew of Criste's passioun. 1617 Fortescue Papers (Camden) 29 They should talke of the points of religion but by way of discourse, and not as in vertue of the commission [etc.]. 1660 Jer. Taylor Worthy Commun. i. iv. 75 Christ in heaven perpetually offers and represents that sacrifice to his heavenly Father and in vertue of that obtaines all good things for his church. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1707) 105 In vertue of which perswasion, the Olives, and Olive stones, and Oyl which they produce, became an excellent commodity in Spain. 1754 Sherlock Disc. (1759) I. ii. 77 He was the Head of all Creatures in Virtue of having created them. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §344 The experiment..was ordered in virtue of an observation that had occurred in the course of the work. 1833 H. Martineau Three Ages ii. 39 In virtue of an office which he held, he had liberty to pass through the palace garden. 1879 Froude Cæsar xiii. 188 He remained a senator in virtue of his quæstorship. |
| (b) c 1350 Will. Palerne 284, I þe coniure..bi vertu of þing þat þou most in þis world louest. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 32 Bi vertue of þis cheef domesman he owiþ to be excused fro þis somonynge of worldly prelat. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶340 It may wel wexe fieble and faille by vertu of baptesme and by the grace of god thurgh penitence. 1425 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 290/1 That they mowe be vertue of the same lokett, be fully excused att alle tymes. 1495 Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 53 §1 Noo..persone the whiche..therwith entermedlede to your use or by vertu of your letters patentes. 1553 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Mary (1914) 149 By vertue of a warraunte sygned with her Maiesties oune handes. 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1376/2 They shall loose the fiue shillings that they should receiue..by vertue of my will. 1617 Sir T. Wentworth in Fortescue Papers (Camden) 25 When indeed he was in effect out of the Commission before, by vertu of that direction. 1663 Heath Flagellum (1672) 47 Upon some pretence of private business of the Colonels and by vertue thereof in a Disguise of a Servant [etc.]. 1681–6 J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 283 So we Christians by vertue of our Covenant with God in Christ, are separated from all other Societies. 1695 Enq. Anc. Const. Eng. 44 Violating the Fundamental Laws and constitutions of the Government by vertue of which he became King. 1785 Burke Sp. Nabob Arcot Wks. 1842 I. 318 No others, by virtue of general powers, can obtain a legal title..to exercise those special functions. 1838 Thirlwall Greece III. 287 The refugees who retired by virtue of the treaty from Amphipolis, found shelter at Eion. 1868 Lockyer Elem. Astron. §374 The planets, when they are visible, appear as stars, and, like the stars, they rise and set by virtue of the Earth's rotation. |
| (c) c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 11/346 And þoruȝ vertue of þe holie croiz he ouer-cam alle is fon. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 1894 Hole sche was & sounde þurch vertu of his gle. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 157 Þe barouns..prayede god þorw vertue of hem Schold sauye hem thar fro heþe men. c 1400 Brut ccviii. 237 He come to þe Gildehall of London, and axede þe keies of þe ȝates of þe citee þrouȝ vertue and strengh of his commission. |
| (d) 1586 Marlowe 1st Pt. Tamburl. v. ii, So..Must Tamburlaine by their resistlesse powers, With vertue of a gentle victorie, Conclude a league of honor to my hope. |
9. Without article: † a. Of precious stones: Occult efficacy or power (as in the prevention or cure of disease, etc.); in later use, great worth or value. Obs.
| a 1272 Luue Ron 170 in O.E. Misc. 98 Hwat spekstu of eny stone þat beoþ in vertu oþer in grace. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 9198 Þus may a man..Alle þe cete of heven lyken..to precyouse stanes of vertow [etc.]. c 1350 Will. Palerne 4425 Þe ston..was of so stif vertu, þat neuer man vpon mold miȝt it him on haue, ne schuld he with wicche⁓craft be wicched neuer-more. c 1400 Melayne 978 His helme & his hawberke holde, Freth ouere with rede golde, With stones of vertue dere. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xxvii. 254 A coronal of gold besette with stones of vertue to the valewe of a thousand pound. 1503 Hawes Examp. Virt. xiii. 242 The roof was set with stones of vertue. 1509 ― Past. Pleas. xxvii. (Percy Soc.) 127 With perles and rubies rubicond, Mixte with emerauds so full of vertue. |
b. Of plants, waters, etc.: Efficacy arising from physical qualities; esp. power to affect the human body in a beneficial manner; strengthening, sustaining, or healing properties.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 34 Bot be the fruit may scilwis se O quat vertu is ilka tre. Ibid. 1016 Treis o frut þan es þar sett Þat serekin vertu has at ette. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 129 His herbe is Anabulla named, Which is of gret vertu proclamed. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 16 Ȝe schall draw wateris..Oute of wellis of oure Saviour, Wiche have vertu to curen alle langueres. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 31 It is sayde that there is an other Magadaris in Lybia... It hath like vertu with Laserpitio. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iv. vii. 145 No Cataplasme..Collected from all Simples that haue Vertue Vnder the Moone, can saue the thing from death. 1655 Culpepper, etc. Riverius i. xiii. 48 This following Fomentation is of wonderful Vertue. 1678 Lady Chaworth in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 48 A wolfes tooth for my pritty godson, that Lady Fingall gave me as a thinge of much vertu..and antidotal against convulsions. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Birds-Eye, an Herb..of singular Virtue against the Palsey. 1778 Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 15 Oct., The second [night]..not so much better as that I dare ascribe any virtue to the medicine. 1841 Myers Cath. Th. iii. §27. 102 Distilling healing virtue into better waters. 1865 Parkham Huguenots i. (1875) 6 There was a fountain of such virtue that, bathing in its waters, old men resumed their youth. |
c. Efficacy of a moral nature; influence working for good upon human life or conduct. † Also, in early use, miraculous power (of the cross, etc.).
| c 1300 St. Margarete 316 Of gret vertu is hire lyf, ho so þeron þoȝte. c 1305 in E.E.P. (1862) 99 If þu woldest þat soþe ihure..Gret vertu ic wole þe telle of þe suete holi rode. c 1425 Hampole's Psalter Metr. Pref. 12 In þis boke is muche vertu, to reders wiþ deuocyown. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 9 Thes rialle gifftes been of verteu most, Gostly coragis most sovereignly delyte. 1549 Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 32 Purposinge to euacuate Christes death, and to make it of smal efficacitie and vertue. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 14 Our Baptisme dotit with sanctitude, And greit vertew, to wesche our sinfulness. 1841 Myers Cath. Th. iii. §17. 64 Few questions..could well be more important, if Divine virtue is to be ascribed to every letter of Scripture. |
d. Superiority or excellence in respect either of nature or of operation; worth or efficacy of any kind.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 16 Selden get a domb man lond. Tak that proverbe, and understond That wordes ben of vertu grete. c 1400 Destr. Troy 8388 The walles [were] vp wroght..With stones full stoute, stithest of vertue. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. xx, In vere, that full of vertu is and gude, Quhen nature first begynneth hir enprise. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. i. 10 The blade..was of no less virtue, then of fame. 1665–6 Phil. Trans. I. 282 Yet have these two Load-stones no connexion or tye, though a Common Center of Virtue according to which they joyntly act. 1669 Bunyan Holy Citie 153 Gold is the choice and chief of all Metals both for worth, colour, and vertue. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 339 The latter [sc. cinnamon] is vastly superior in richness, sweetness, and virtue. 1812 Cary Dante, Par. vii. 132 The elements Are by created virtue inform'd. 1830 Herschel Study Nat. Phil. 59 There is virtue in a bushel of coals properly consumed, to raise seventy millions of pounds weight a foot high. 1883 N. York Chr. Union 21 June, The new Sound steamer ‘Pilgrim’ is regarded as a model of mechanical and constructional virtue. |
† e. Of laws, etc.: Operation, vigour. Obs.
| c 1450 Harl. Contin. Higden (Rolls) VIII. 511 Whiche statute was ordeynede to take vertu and begynnynge at the feste of the Purificacion. 1472–5 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 162/1 That the said late Ordenaunce..be and stond in strenght and vertue, unto the xxvi day of May. 1652 Needham Selden's Mare Cl. 59 The Sea-Laws which were used and in full force and virtue in both the Empires were borrowed from the Rhodians. 1686 Col. Rec. Pennsylv. I. 171 All those laws shall and are hereby Continued to Stand and be in full force and Vertue untill y⊇ End of the first Session. |
† f. in virtue, virtually. Obs.
| a 1633 G. Herbert Priest to Temple xxi, A most plain and easy framing the question, even containing, in virtue, the answer also. |
10. With limitation to special instances (usually the virtue of.., or with possessives): a. In senses 9 a and 9 b.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 312/428 Also man, ȝwane he is i-bore, onder heore [sc. the planets'] power i-wis, Schullen habbe diuers lijf, euere ase heore vertue is. a 1300 Leg. Rood (1871) 32 Þat water hi honurde muche..Ac hi nuste noþing of þe tre Þat al þe vertu made. 1320–30 Horn Ch. 567 Rimneld..bi-tauȝt him a ring Þe vertu wele sche knewe. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 1660 Thilke monk Sorgien was, Þe vertu, he knewe of mani a gras. c 1400 Mandeville v. (1839) 50 Who so kutte hem [sc. balm-branches] with Iren, it wolde destroye his Vertue and his Nature. 1450 Myrr. our Ladye 37 A drynke..whiche is swete to taste, and effectuall to hele the woundes of synners by hys verteu. 1593 Earl of Shrewsbury in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 39, I would your Lordship wolde once make trial of my Oyle of Stags blud, for I am strongly persuaded of the rare and great vertu thereof. 1626 Bacon Sylva §17 It is an Errour in Phisicians, to rest simply vpon the Length of stay, for encreasing the vertue. But if you will haue the Infusion strong [etc.]. 1640 Nabbes Bride i. ii, Like those pills which an unwilling patient Doubting their vertue takes. 1757 A. Cooper Distiller i. i. (1760) 6 Till at last the whole Virtue or saccharine Sweetness of the Malt is extracted. 1759 Mills Duhamel's Husb. i. ix. (1762) 52 By this means the sun..will be prevented from exhaling the virtue of your manure. 1769 Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 1 It will draw all the virtue out of the roots or herbs, and turn it to a good gravy. 1845 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 11 The virtue of St. Martin's precious relics was in the most active operation during the fifth and sixth centuries. |
b. In sense 9 c.
| c 1250 Meid. Maregrete xlv, Sclawen was þe dragun þoru þe uertu of þe rod. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3821 Pardon..es of þe tresur of haly kirke, Þat es gadirde..Of þe vertu of Crestes passion. 1382 Wyclif Rom. i. 16 Forsoth I schame not the gospel, for it is the vertu of God in to helthe to ech man bileuynge. c 1450 M.E. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 138, I coniure ȝow fyue croppes in þe verteu of þe v woundes, þat crist suffred on þe roode treo. 1473 J. Warkworth Chron. 18 Kynge Edwarde..requyrede hyme by the vertu of sacrament that he schulde pardone alle tho whos names here folowe. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (Pynson) i. vii. 20 Hauyng grace and werkyng therafter..by the vertue of the same he may meryt and deserue the crowne of glory. 1557 N.T. (Genev.) Phil. iii. 10 That I may knowe him, and the vertue of his resurrection. a 1617 Bayne On Eph. (1658) 23 A thing wrought not by any power of nature but by the vertue of Gods Spirit. a 1629 Hinde J. Bruen li. (1641) 168 Doth not the vertue of the death and resurrection of Christ require it, that henceforth wee die unto sin..? |
c. In sense 9 d.
| a 1340 Hampole Prose Tr. 2 It falles the flesche may noghte of his vertu noghte defaile ay whils þe saule in swylk joyes is rauyste for to joye. c 1386 Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 302 But fynally the kyng asked the knight The vertu of this courser, and the might, And prayd him tellen of his governaunce. 1477 Norton Ord. Alch. i. in Ashm. (1652) 19 For cause efficient of Mettalls finde ye shall Only to be the vertue Minerall. 1535 Coverdale Wisd. xix. 19 The fyre had power in the water (contrary to his awne vertue). 1584 Sir T. Chaloner (title), A shorte Discourse of the most rare..Vertue of Nitre, wherein is declared the..cures by the same effected. 1592 Daniel Compl. Rosamond Wks. (1717) 47 Pleasure had set my well-school'd Thoughts to play, And bid me use the Vertue of mine Eyes. a 1628 Preston Effectual Faith (1631) 118 It if bee the vertue of a horse to goe well; If it be the vertue of a knife to cut well, if it be the vertue of a Soldier to fight well. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 209 At the top [of the date palm]..is a soft pith, in which consists the soule and vegetatiue vertue of that tree. 1759 Franklin Lett. Wks. 1840 V. 364 Both these stones have evidently the two properties;..the virtue seems strongest towards one end of the face. 1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 170 A piece of soft iron..capable of supporting as much as the magnet from which it derives its virtue. 1841–4 Emerson Ess., Spir. Laws Wks. (Bohn) I. 57 The virtue of a pipe is to be smooth and hollow. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 370, I shall..bless each kindly wrench that wrung From life's tree its inmost virtue. |
d. In similar use of immaterial things. † Also in sense 9 e.
| c 1325 Spec. Gy Warw. 658 If þu couþest knowe and se Þe uertu of humilite. 1340–70 Alisaunder 513 Þe uertue of il uictorie..Is noght stabled in strength of no stiff prese. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 30 The vertu of hire goodly speche Is verraily myn hertes leche. 1450 Rolls of Parlt. V. 196/2 That the seid Letters Patentes,..aftre the strengthe, forme and vertue of the same,..stonde and abide in the force and vertue. c 1477 Caxton Jason 21 b, Fayr lordes displese yow not yf the uertue of my corage knowe not now the feblesse of my body. 1563 J. Man Musculus' Commonpl. 28 The Apostle witnesseth, that the law is the vertue of sinne. 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 112 The old verse standeth as yet in his old vertue. 1607 Puritan iii. i. 74 The amazd widdow Will..wonder at the vertue of my words. 1642 J. M[arsh] Argt. conc. Militia 18 The name of a Parliament onely, and not the power and vertue of it. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 41 Whether the Harwich..suffered any thing from her said sheathing, in her virtue of Sailing. 1746 Wesley Princ. Methodist 63 Works beyond the Virtue of Natural Causes, wrought by the Power of Evil Spirits. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xliii, David..came, through the great virtue of if, to be of opinion that he might safely so act in that matter. 1852 Robertson Serm. Ser. iii. xvii. (1882) 227 He hath imparted to us the virtue of his wrestlings. 1872 Morley Voltaire (1886) 4 A collective religious tradition that had lost its virtue. |
† e. by (or in) the virtue of, = sense 8. Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 32 He schal be excused fro þe lasse bi þe vertue of þe heiȝere iuge. 1654 R. Codrington tr. Iustine xvi. 254 [Many of them] delivered themselves from their..calamities by the virtue of an ingenious shame. 1656 Bramhall Replic. vii. 292, I confess persons deputed..by the King doe often excommunicate and absolve..but this is by the vertue of their own habit of Jurisdiction. 1681–6 J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 201 By interceding for us as Priest in the vertue of his Sacrifice. 1695 Dryden Ess. (ed. Ker) II. 124 The painters, by the virtue of their outlines, colours, lights, and shadows, represent the same things and persons in their pictures. |
11. With a and pl. A particular power, efficacy, or good quality inherent in, or pertaining to, something: a. Of plants, medicines, precious stones, etc. (Cf. 9 a, 9 b, and 10 a.)
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiv. 37 Vitailles of grete vertues, for al manere bestes. a 1400 Stockholm Med. MS. 26 The vertuis of violet. c 1400 Mandeville vi. (1839) 69 Many othere Vertues it [an oak-tree] hathe: where fore Men holden it fulle precyous. c 1425 Cursor M. 1011 (Trin.) Mony vertues þere is sene Þe erbes euer I-liche grene. 1470–85 Malory Arth. xvii. v. 696 This Salamon was wyse and knewe alle the vertues of stones and trees. 1551 Turner Herbal Prol. A iij, I declare also the vertues of euery herbe. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. ii. 32 b, Wild asses, whiche haue in their head a stone, hauing the vertue against the falling sicknes. 1597 Gerarde Herbal i. ii. 4 These kindes of grasses do agree as it is thought, with the common Medow grasse, in nature and vertues. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 34 There are sundry vertues confected out of this beast. 1649 Bp. Reynolds Hosea i. 22 Wine draweth a nourishing vertue from the flesh of Vipers. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. (1729) III. i. 379 The Sulphurousness or other Vertue of this Water. 1762 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) I. 280 It is said in the note that Sir Nathaniel was famed for painting plants, and well skilled in their virtues. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. 324 The plants of this class are supposed to have various specific virtues. 1806 Med. Jrnl. XV. 327 Have practitioners yet proved the full virtues of the digitalis? 1838 Murray's Hand-bk. N. Germ. 374/2 The hot mineral springs..owe their virtues to the presence of sulphur and alkaline salts. 1856 R. A. Vaughan Mystics viii. iv. (1860) II. 53 Each planet, according to its mind or mood, shed virtues healing or harmful into minerals and herbs. |
b. Of animal bodies, the elements, or other physical entities.
expulsive virtue: see expulsive a. 1.
| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 42 For so astonyed and a-sweved Was every vertu in my heved. c 1386 ― Prol. 4 Whan that Aprille..hath..bathud every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertue engendred is the flour. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 15 Þe vertues of lymes þou must knowe, þat he se, whanne þe worchinge of ony vartu failith in ony lyme. 1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert 120 Hir left arme had lost þe vertue of felyng. 1480 Caxton Myrr. iii. viii. 145 The sterres that ben in heuen whiche haue vertues on therthe. 1544 T. Phaer Regim. Life (1560) S v, When a childe neseth out of measure, that is to say with a long continuance & therby the brayn & virtues animal be febled, it is good to stop it. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. xxix. 151 The sacred fountayne..is of such a vertue, that putting into it any burning thing [it] is sodainly extinguished. 1604 E. G[rimstone] tr. D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. xxi. 188 This moisture from heaven hath such a vertue, that ceasing to fal vpon the earth, it breedes a great discommoditie and defect of graine and seedes. a 1628 Preston Effectual Faith (1631) 59 If the Loadstone be of such a vertue, let it show it by attracting the Iron to it. 1684 R. Waller Nat. Exper. 46 The imperceptible pores of those passages by which the attractive Virtue issues out. 1709 T. Robinson Nat. Hist. Westmoreld. v. 26 A very active Principle, or Virtue, that operates in the Generation of Stones. 1755 B. Martin Mag. of Arts & Sci. 389 What seems most wonderful, is, that the magnetic Virtue should not be interrupted by the Glass. |
c. In miscellaneous uses.
| 1486 Bk. St. Albans, Her. a j, Ther ben here the vertuys of Chyualry. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 206 Money is of so great a vertue that it corrupteth Popes. 1629 Hobbes Thucyd. (1822) 70 For a great and a little claim imposed..by way of command hath one and the same virtue to make subject. 1676 Hobbes Iliad Pref. (1686) 1 Concerning the Vertues of an Heroick Poem. 1702 Rouse's Heav. Univ. Advert. 4 They may inwardly perceive by a most powerful and most secret Vertue imprinted in their Souls and Hearts. 1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 276 It is not meant that there is any peculiar virtue or charm in the point called the centre. 1872 Ruskin Eagle's Nest §18 Over these three kingdoms of imagination, art, and science, there reigns a virtue or faculty..the appointed ruler and guide of every method of labour. |
III. 12. Comb., as virtue-binding, virtue-proof, virtue-wise adjs.
| 1667 Milton P.L. v. 384 No vaile Shee needed, Vertue-proof, no thought infirme Alterd her cheek. 1691 Satyr agst. French 21 And she must be but little Vertue-proof, Who can be taken with such fulsom Stuff. 1816 L. Hunt Rimini iii. 6 The holy cheat, the virtue-binding sin. 1838 S. Bellamy Betrayal 49 And wisdom's self revealings, virtue-wise, Thy darkness comprehending not. |
▪ II. † virtue, v. Obs.—1
In 4 vertue.
[f. prec.]
refl. To exert (oneself).
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 372 For schrifte stant of no value To him that wol him noght vertue To leve of vice the folie. |