Virtuosities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A display of exceptional skill or talent in a specific art form or activity, often characterized by intricate and elaborate technique
2. An exhibition of extraordinary proficiency and mastery in a particular discipline, marked by complex and refined execution
3. A demonstration of remarkable artistic talent or expertise, distinguished by impressive and detailed performances in the arts or other fields

Etymology: The plural "virtuosities" is simply the plural of "virtuosity," which names the quality of being a virtuoso. The noun "virtuoso" came into English from Italian "virtuoso," meaning skilled or accomplished, and that Italian word was itself borrowed from Late Latin "virtuosus," formed from Latin "virtus." Those Latin roots meant manliness, courage and worth, and the sense of moral excellence, not artistic brilliance, was the original one. The shift to musical and artistic skill came later, as Italian "virtuoso" acquired the sense of a person with a refined taste for the arts and then a performer of exceptional technique. English adopted "virtuoso" in that artistic sense, and it is from that noun that "virtuosity" was formed by adding the suffix "-ity," meaning "quality of." The terminal "-o" of "virtuoso" drops away in the new word. Earlier English had its own relative, Middle English "vertuosite," which meant a virtuous quality or character, so the word once pointed toward moral goodness before the modern sense of technical mastery took over.

Synonyms: skill, expertise, proficiency, mastery, talent

Antonyms: ineptitude, incompetence, clumsiness, awkwardness, failure