Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - virtue

 noun  Etymology: Middle English vertu, virtu, from Anglo-French, from Latin virtut-, virtus strength, manliness, ~, from vir man — more at virile  Date: 13th century  1.  a. conformity to a standard of right ; morality  b. a particular moral excellence  2. plural an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy  3. a beneficial quality or power of a thing  4. manly strength or courage ; valor  5. a commendable quality or trait ; merit  6. a capacity to act ; potency  7. chastity especially in a woman  • ~less adjective