virtuoso

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian virtuoso, from Late Latin virtuōsus (“virtuous”), from Latin virtus (“excellence”). Doublet of virtuous.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌvɜ.tʃuˈəʊ.səʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌvɝ.t͡ʃuˈoʊ.soʊ/

Noun

virtuoso (plural virtuosos or virtuosi)

1. (now historical) An expert in virtù or art objects and antiquities; a connoisseur. [from 17th c.]
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 10, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VIII, page 224:

     For, besides the extraordinary Neatness of the Room, it was adorned with a great Number of Nicknacks, and Curiosities, which might have engaged the Attention of a Virtuoso.

2. Someone with special skill or knowledge; an expert. [from 17th c.]
3. Specifically, a musician (or other performer) with masterly ability, technique, or personal style. [from 18th c.]

Translations

A person with masterly ability, technique or style

• Armenian: վիրտուոզ (hy) (virtuoz)
• Catalan: virtuós (ca) m, virtuosa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藝術鑑賞家／艺术鉴赏家 (yìshù jiànshǎng jiā), 專家／专家 (zh) (zhuānjiā), 能手 (zh) (néngshǒu), 大師／大师 (zh) (dàshī)

• Danish: virtuos
• Dutch: virtuoos (nl)
• Esperanto: virtuozo
• Finnish: virtuoosi (fi)
• French: virtuose (fr) m or f
• Georgian: ვირტუოზი (virṭuozi)
• German: Virtuose (de) m
• Greek: βιρτουόζος (el) m (virtouózos)
• Italian: virtuoso (it) m
• Japanese: 名人 (ja) (めいじん, meijin), ヴィルトゥオーゾ (virutuōso), 妙手 (ja) (みょうしゅ, myōshu), 巨匠 (ja) (きょしょう, kyoshō)
• Kazakh: саусағынан бал тамған (sausağynan bal tamğan)
• Korean: 미술품 감정가 (misulpum gamjeongga)
• Maori: rehe
• Polish: wirtuoz (pl) m, wirtuozka (pl) f
• Portuguese: virtuoso (pt) m
• Russian: виртуо́з (ru) m (virtuóz)
• Spanish: virtuoso (es) m
• Turkish: virtüöz (tr)

Adjective

virtuoso (comparative more virtuoso, superlative most virtuoso)

1. Exhibiting the ability of a virtuoso.
   • 2024 April 3, Phil McNulty, “Man City 4-1 Aston Villa: Phil Foden produces 'masterclass' to show worth again”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Instead, he was able to sit alongside De Bruyne on the City bench admiring a virtuoso performance from Foden, pulling every string in the number 10 role and illustrating again why he is so important to Guardiola, and why he simply must start for Gareth Southgate's England at Euro 2024.

Related terms

• virtue
• virtuosa
• virtuosic
• virtuosically
• virtuosity

 

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin virtuōsus. By surface analysis, virtù +‎ -oso.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vir.tuˈo.zo/, (traditional) /vir.tuˈo.so/, /virˈtwo.zo/, (traditional) /virˈtwo.so/
• Rhymes: -ozo, (traditional) -oso
• Hyphenation: vir‧tu‧ó‧so, vir‧tuó‧so

Adjective

virtuoso (feminine virtuosa, masculine plural virtuosi, feminine plural virtuose, superlative virtuosissimo)

1. virtuous
2. skilful
3. upright

Derived terms

• virtuosamente
• virtuosismo
• virtuosistico
• virtuosità

Noun

virtuoso m (plural virtuosi, feminine virtuosa)

1. virtuoso, master (of an instrument)

Descendants

• → English: virtuoso
• → French: virtuose
  • → Russian: виртуоз (virtuoz)
    • → Georgian: ვირტუოზი (virṭuozi)
• → Swedish: virtuos

Anagrams

• ostruivo

Latin

Adjective

virtuōsō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of virtuōsus

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /viʁ.tuˈo.zu/ [vih.tʊˈo.zu], (faster pronunciation) /viʁˈtwo.zu/ [vihˈtwo.zu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /viʁ.tuˈo.zu/ [vih.tʊˈo.zu], (faster pronunciation) /viʁˈtwo.zu/ [vihˈtwo.zu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /viɾ.tuˈo.zu/ [viɾ.tʊˈo.zu], (faster pronunciation) /viɾˈtwo.zu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /viʁ.tuˈo.zu/ [viχ.tʊˈo.zu], (faster pronunciation) /viʁˈtwo.zu/ [viχˈtwo.zu]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /viɻ.tuˈo.zo/ [viɻ.tʊˈo.zo], (faster pronunciation) /viɻˈtwo.zo/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /viɾˈtwo.zu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /viɾˈtwo.zu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /biɾˈtwo.zu/

• Hyphenation: vir‧tu‧o‧so

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Late Latin virtuōsus (“virtuous”), from Latin virtūs + -ōsus.

Adjective

virtuoso (feminine virtuosa, masculine plural virtuosos, feminine plural virtuosas, comparable, comparative mais virtuoso, superlative o mais virtuoso or virtuosíssimo, metaphonic)

1. virtuous (full of virtues)

Related terms

• virtude
• virtuosamente
• virtuosidade
• virtuosismo
• virtuosista
• virtuosístico

 

Noun

virtuoso m (plural virtuosos, feminine virtuosa, feminine plural virtuosas, metaphonic)

1. a virtuous person

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian virtuoso, from Latin virtuōsus (“virtuous”).

Alternative forms

• virtuose

Adjective

virtuoso (feminine virtuosa, masculine plural virtuosos, feminine plural virtuosas, comparable, comparative mais virtuoso, superlative o mais virtuoso or virtuosíssimo, metaphonic)

1. virtuoso (with masterly ability)

Noun

virtuoso m (plural virtuosos, feminine virtuosa, feminine plural virtuosas, metaphonic)

1. virtuoso (person with masterly ability)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biɾˈtwoso/ [biɾˈt̪wo.so]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oso
• Syllabification: vir‧tuo‧so

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin virtuōsus (“virtuous”), from Latin virtūs + -ōsus.

Adjective

virtuoso (feminine virtuosa, masculine plural virtuosos, feminine plural virtuosas)

1. virtuous

Noun

virtuoso m (plural virtuosos, feminine virtuosa, feminine plural virtuosas)

1. virtuous person

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian virtuoso, from Latin virtuōsus (“virtuous”).

Adjective

virtuoso (feminine virtuosa, masculine plural virtuosos, feminine plural virtuosas)

1. virtuoso (exhibiting the ability of a virtuoso)

Noun

virtuoso m (plural virtuosos, feminine virtuosa, feminine plural virtuosas)

1. virtuoso

Further reading

• “virtuoso”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28