vertu

virtue

noun vehr-TUE Less Common

Also means

power, property (of a substance)

Usage Note

Vertu in everyday use means moral virtue, but in scientific or folk contexts it means the special property or power of something: les vertus médicinales des plantes ('the medicinal properties of plants'). En vertu de is a formal preposition meaning 'by virtue of / pursuant to'.

Examples

"La patience est une vertu difficile à cultiver."

Natural Translation

Patience is a virtue difficult to cultivate.

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