vertu
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vertu
- /vəˈtuː/ UK
- /vɚˈtu/ US
Rhymes with -uː
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Italian virtù, †vertù (“moral worth, virtue (13th century); determination, perseverance, military valour (14th century); study of the liberal or fine arts; appreciation of, taste for, or expertise in the fine arts; objets d'art collectively (16th century)”); or from French vertu (“virtue”), ultimately from Latin virtūt-, virtus (“virtue”). Doublet of virtue; compare also virtuoso.
noun vertù · virtu
- The fine arts as a subject of study or expertise; understanding of arts and antiquities. To give them their Due, they ſoar a Step higher than their Predeceſſors, and may be called Men of Wiſdom and Vertù (take heed you do not read Virtue).
- Objets d'art collectively. A Catalogue of a Truly Valuable Assemblage of Articles of Virtu of William Chinnery, Esq. Brought from Gillwell, Essex[…].
- Especially with reference to the writings of Machiavelli (1469–1527): the requisite qualities for political or military success; vitality, determination; power. All these connotations, even the positive and moral ones, are within the range of significations Machiavelli wants us to hear in “virtù.” For him the word suggests a kind of flexibility that can initiate effective, efficient, and energetic action based on a courageous assertion of the will and an ab
- Moral worth; virtue, virtuousness.
Talk about this word "vertu." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vertu. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vertu. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vertu "vertu." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vertu.Cite this
@misc{vertu_2026,
title = {vertu},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vertu},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
