Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

Discuss
Email this
Feedback
RSS/XML
Permalink

A.Word.A.Day--virtu

This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings

virtu (vuhr-TOO) noun

1. A love of or taste for fine objects of art.

2. Objects of art, curios, etc.

[From Italian virtù (virtue), from Latin virtus (worth, excellence). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wi-ro (man) that is also the source of virile, virtue, virago, virtuoso, werewolf, and world.]

"The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College has organized an exhibition ... of optical illusions, stuffed birds, statuettes, objects of virtu and geological specimens."
Arthur C. Danto; Hendrick Goltzius and Mannerism; The Nation (New York); Feb 10, 1992.

See more usage examples of virtu in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

X-Bonus