virtuoso

virtuous

adjective veer-too-OH-zoh Rare

Origin: Latin virtuosus, from virtus 'virtue'

Also means

virtuoso (skilled performer)

Usage Note

Virtuoso has two distinct senses: the moral sense ('virtuous, upright') and the musical/performance sense ('a highly skilled performer'). As a noun, un virtuoso / una virtuosa means a performer of exceptional technical mastery. In English 'virtuoso' was borrowed directly from Italian in the musical sense. The plural noun is virtuosi (m) or virtuose (f).

Examples

"Era una pianista virtuosa e molto apprezzata."

Natural Translation

She was a virtuoso pianist and highly regarded.

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