virtuoso
vur-choo-OH-so · noun
LatinItalianEnglish
Origin
English borrowed virtuoso from Italian virtuoso, which came from Late Latin virtuōsus, meaning 'virtuous,' itself built on Latin virtus, 'excellence.'
Journey
The facts trace only the borrowing path from Latin virtūs through Italian into English; no further shift in meaning is given beyond this chain.
Related words
It's a doublet of virtuous — the two words descend from the same Late Latin source, virtuōsus, but arrived in English by different routes.
More words
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