virtue | Dictionaries | Morcus Latin Tools

• virtue:

I. As a gen. term, moral perfection (as a disposition, principle, or practice):

1. virtus, ūtis, f.: v. is a consistent and harmonious frame of mind, making those praiseworthy in whom it exists, v. est affectio animi constans conveniensque laudabiles efficiens eos in quibus est, Cic. Tusc. 4, 15, 34: v. itself may be defined most concisely as right reason, ipsa v. brevissime recta ratio dici potest, ib.: cf. id. Leg. 1, 16, 45: good men hate to sin, from love of v., boni oderunt peccare virtutis amore, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 52: a religious regard for v., superstitio (virtutis), Sen. Ep. 95, 35: all who possess v. are happy, omnes virtutis compotes beati sunt, Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 39: v. is very active, v. actuosa est, id. N. D. 1, 40, 110: the special quality (or force) of v., vis virtutis, id. Fam. 9, 16, 5: the perfection of v., (Join), perfecta cumulataque v., id. Sest. 40, 86: (endowed) with these qualities of v. and vice, cum hac indole virtutum atque vitiorum, Liv. 21, 4., extr. (cf. bonae animi indoles, Gell. 19, 12, ad med.): a pattern of v., documentum virtutis, Cic. Rab. Post. 10, 27: v. overthrown (Join), afflicta et prostrata v., id. de Or. 2, 52, 211: a man of extraordinary v., vir singulari v. praeditus, id. Dom. 39, 15 (cf. v. eximia, egregia, excellens, etc.: v. Nizol. Lex in Cic. s. v. virtus): to have v., virtutem habere, Cic. pass. (cf. virtute praeditum esse, based on id., v. supr.): to practise v., v. colere, id. Arch. 7, 16: to strive after v., virtuti studere, id. Fin. 4, 24, 65: teachers of v., virtutis magistri, id. Mur. 31, 65 (but aretalogos, = ἀρεταλόγος, is a babbler about v., a boaster, gen. of a Cynic or Stoic: Suet.: Juv.): to abandon the path of v., viam virtutis deserere, Hor. Od. 3, 24, 44: perh. too, for prose, via virtutis may serve, based on Cic. Leg. 1, 6, 18 (justitiae vias).
2. hŏnestas, ātis, f., (honourableness of character): one pair is left to fight it out, pleasure and v. (metaph. from gladiators), unum par quod depugnet reliquum est, voluptas cum h., Cic. Acad. 2, 46, 140: to covet v. for its own sake, h. propter se expetere, id. Off. 1, 2, 6: v. also honour (subs., V.).
3. hŏnestum, rectum (neut. adjj. used as subss.: in sense like preced.): v., that which is cultivated by those who would be esteemed good men, h., quod colitur ab iis, qui bonos se viros haberi volunt, Cic. Off. 3, 4, 17: cf. honestum aut ipsa virtus est aut res gesta virtute, id. Fin. 5, 23, 66 (cf. rectum est quod cum virtute et officio fit, Auct. Her. 3, 2, 3). Join: r. honestumque, Cic. Acad. 1, 6, 23.
4. prŏbĭtas, ātis, f.: tried v., p. spectata, Tac. A. 13, 12. Join: a light of v. (of a man), lumen p. et virtutis, Cic. Am. 8, 27: v. integrity.
5. innŏcentia, integrĭtas: v. integrity, uprightness.
6. sanctĭmōnia, sanctĭtas: v. purity (5). Phr.: to allure one to v., aliquem ad recte faciendum allicere, Cic. Phil. 2, 45, 115: in the whole of life not to swerve from v., (lit. an upright conscience) a hair's breadth (lit. finger's breadth), in omni vita a recta conscientia transversum unguem non discedere, id. Att. 13, 20, 4: to turn oneself to v. (i. e. to reform oneself), ad bonam frugem se recipere, id. Coel. 12, 28 (v. Smith's Lat. Dict. s. v. frux, II., 3): the language of v., proba oratio (i. e. sermo probitatis et honestatis plenus, Forcell.), but al. probi oratio (Nobbe), Cic. Or. 22, 74.

II. A particular moral excellence: virtus, ūtis, f.: all v.s are equal, omnes v. sunt inter se aequales et pares, Cic. de Or. 3, 14, 55: to have all the v.s, omnes habere v., id. Off. 2, 10, 35.: the cardinal v.s, virtutes eae quae quasi fontes universae honestatis sunt (v. cardinal, adj.): adorned with these v.s, self-control, temperance, justice, virtutibus his ornatus, modestia, temperantia, justitia, Cic. Off. 1, 15, 46: cf. virtutes continentiae, justitiae, fidei, id. Mur. 10, 23: a portrait of the v.s, virtutum effigies, id. Arch. 12, 30: he shone out in v.s, virtutibus eluxit, Nep. Pausan. 1, init. Prov.: to make a v. of necessity, facere de necessitate virtutem, Hier. in Ruf. 3, n. 2: cf. quae casus obtulerat in sapientiam vertere, Tac. A. 1, 28, med.: *laudem virtutis necessitati dare (R. and A.).
III. Chastity, q. v.: pŭdīcĭtia. [For to rob a woman of her v., v. to dishonour, ravish.]
IV. Of animals and things, excellence, worth:

1. virtus, ūtis, f.: the v. (or excellence of a tree, a horse, v. arboris, equi, Cic. Leg. 1, 16, 45: the v. (or strength) of wine, v. Bacchi, Prop. 3, 17 (4, 16), 20.
2. bŏnĭtas: v. goodness.
3. laus, laudis, f.: fidelity is the v. of a dog, *summa laus canis in fide cernitur (R. and A.).

V. Power, efficacy, esp. in medicine:

1. vis, virtus: v. efficacy. Join: (herbarum) vis et effectus, Cic. Div. 2, 20, 47.
2. pŏtestas (in plur.): Join: (herbarum) potestates visque, Plin. 25, 2, 5, § 9: cf. p. herbarum, Virg. Aen. 12, 396.
3. făcultas (in plur.: rare in this sense): since all medicines have their special v.s, cum omnia medicamenta proprias facultates habeant, Cels. 5, praef., ad fin.
4. pŏtentia: p. herbarum, Ov. M. 1, 522: Plin.: v. Smith's Lat. Dict. s. v.
5. expr. by adjj.: sălūtāris, effĭcax: e. g., the decoction has v. for tooth-ache, ad dentium dolorem decoctum eorum salutare est, Plin. 24, 9, 42, § 71: v. good (adj., II.).
6. expr. by verbb.: făcere, prōdesse: e. g., to have v. for dysury, facere ad difficultatem urinae, id. 22, 18, 21, § 46. Cf. also posse, Cic. Div. 1, 10, 16: pollere, Plin. 24, 19, 110, § 171 (v. also Forcell. s. v.): valere, Plin.: Cels. (v. Forcell. s. v.). Fig.: expr. by posse, vălēre: e. g., philosophy has not the same v. with all minds, (philosophia) non idem potest apud omnes, Cic. (v. also influence, subs., I.). Special Phr.: by (or in) v. of: expr. by (1.) an abl. simply: to prevail by v. of authority, auctoritate praevalere, Suet. Galb. 19: by v. of which command, quo imperio, Nep. Milt. 7, init.: cf. foederibus vetustis juncta Punica res Romanae, Liv. 9, 19, post med. (2.) ex or e (with abl.: in accordance with): by v. of the law, ex lege, Cic.: cf. ex foedere, Liv. (3.) per: by v. of the stipulations, per conditiones, Sall. J. 61, extr. (4.) pro: by v. of your practical wisdom, pro tua prudentia, Cic. Fam. 4, 10, 2: cf. pro jure amicitiae nostrae a te peto, id. Att. 10, 8 (b.): v. also account (subs., III.).

• VIRTUE

Power, efficacy, vis (Cic.): potestas (Plin.): efficacitas (Cic.): efficientia (C, once): efficacia (Plin.): The natural virtues of plants, potestates herbarum (Plin., 25, 2, 5): the virtues of medicines, facultates medicamentorum (Cels., 5, 1): to possess a certain virtue, vim habere; valere; efficere aliquid; potestatem habere; pertinere ad aliquid: in or by virtue of, e or ex (conformably to; e.g., ex pacto, ex conventu); per (by authority of; e.g., per senatus decretum, etc.). It may also be expressed by the simple ablative; e.g., by virtue of this command, quo imperio (as Nep., Milt., 7, 1).
Good quality of anything, virtus (e.g., arboris, equi, Cic.; ferri, herbarum, etc.). Wine has this virtue, vinum eo nomine commendatur, hanc laudem habet: fidelity is the virtue of a dog, summa virtus, or laus, canis in fide cernitur, posita est.
Moral goodness, virtus (as showing itself in meritorious and becoming actions): innocentia (as showing itself in blameless, especially disinterested, conduct): honestas (as showing itself in virtuous and noble sentiments): ☞ Neither of these words corresponds exactly to our word “virtue” in this sense: virtus denotes, strictly speaking, only excellence (virtus est nihil aliud quam ad summum perducta natura, Cic., Leg., 1, 8, 25; compare Tusc., 4, 15, 34; 5, 13, 39; Beier ad Cic., Off., 2, 6, 29), and honestas, in the Roman sense, has too exclusive a reference to character, reputation, and human opinion: Grotefend remarks, that honestas is nearer to our idea than virtus; but perhaps virtus must be usually adopted, the sense in which a modern writer uses the term being fully understood. Or we may say, honestum, rectum, virtus vera; or, by circumlocution, id quod proprie dicitur vereque est honestum (Cic., Off., 3, 4, 17): The path of virtue, virtutis via (Sall.): lovely, heavenly virtue, virtus amabilis, admirabilis, divina (Cic.): sing., extraordinary virtue, virtus eximia, praeclara, singularis, excellens (Cic.): tried virtue, virtus spectata, probata: oppressed virtue, virtus afflicta, prostrata: active virtue, virtus actuosa; virtus, quae in agendo versatur: a pattern of virtue, exemplar virtutis (Sen.); lumen probitatis et virtutis (Cic., Amic., 8, 27): to be possessed of virtue, virtutem habere; virtute praeditum, ornatum esse: in quo virtus inest: to depart or deviate from virtue, a virtute discedere; honestatem deserere: virtue commends itself by action, omnis laus virtutis in actione consistit (Cic., Off., 1, 6, 19).
A single feature of moral goodness, virtus. The virtue of temperance, of justice, virtus continentiae, justitiae (Cic.); all virtues are equal, omnes virtutes sunt inter se aequales et pares (Cic., De Or., 3, 14, 55): to make a virtue of necessity, laudem virtutis necessitati dare (Quint.); necessitati cedere, concedere, parere, aliquid dare, tribuere (after Cic.).
Chastity, pudicitia: pudor.

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