Word of the Day: Virtue

virtue

vir-tue / vûr-cho͞o

noun

1. behavior showing high moral standards; uprightness; righteousness

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

Marcus Aurelius, 121 – 180

2. a type or instance of moral excellence

The virtue of prosperity, is temperance; the virtue of adversity, is fortitude; which in morals is the more heroical virtue.

From “The Essays” by Sir Francis Bacon, 1561 – 1626

3. (archaic) virginity; chastity

Never trust a woman who mentions her virtue.

French Proverb

4. a quality or property that is admirable, desirable or good; advantage

Coffee has two virtues, it is wet and warm.

Dutch Proverb

5. effective force or power

Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.

Maimonides, 1135 – 1204

6. (obsolete) valor; heroic courage

Trust to thy single virtue; for thy soldiers

All levied in my name, have in my name

Took their discharge.

From “King Lear” by William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616

7. virtues, one of the nine orders of angels in medieval study of angels

Virtues are the instruments through which God works his miracles.

“The Angels Messengers from a loving God”, http://stmichaelthearchangel.info/angels.shtml#virtues, accessed June 21, 2023