Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

by virtue of

/baɪ ˈvɝtʃu ʌv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English

Syllables
by vir-tue of
IPA
/baɪ ˈvɝtʃu ʌv/
21
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep

(originally) By the authority or power of; (now) because of; on the grounds of; by reason of.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Modification of Middle English in vertu of, a calque of Anglo-Norman par vertu de or Middle French par la vertu de (“by the authority of”); from Old French vertu (“goodness; honour; valour; virtue”) (whence English virtue (“(obsolete) inherent power of a god or other supernatural being; inherent power or efficacy of something”)).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /baɪ ˈvɝtʃu ʌv/
  • British English: /baɪ ˈvɜːtʃuː ɒv/

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

based on due to in virtue of on account of along of because because of as a consequence of out of consideration for by dint of on the force of on the grounds of

Questions

How do you pronounce by virtue of?
The recorded pronunciation is /baɪ ˈvɝtʃu ʌv/.
What does by virtue of mean?
(originally) By the authority or power of; (now) because of; on the grounds of; by reason of.
Where does by virtue of come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce by virtue of

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “by virtue of”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/baɪ ˈvɝtʃu ʌv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “by virtue of”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “by virtue of” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.