See Also: virtual(dictionary)
virtual(dictionary)
virtual office(dictionary)
virtual reality(dictionary)
Virtual airport(tourism)
Virtual Corporation(money)
virtual image(medicine)
virtual focus(medicine)
image virtual(medicine)
virtual reality(encyclopedia)

virtual (iou)



virtual adjective. LME.
[medieval Latin virtualis, from Latin virtus VIRTUE, after late Latin virtuosus: see VIRTUOUS, -AL1.]
Possessed of certain physical virtues or powers; effective in respect of inherent qualities; capable of exerting influence by means of such qualities. Now rare. LME.
Bacon See if the Virtuall Heat of the Wine..will not mature it.
b. Of a herb: possessing specific healing properties or virtues. rare. M17.
Morally virtuous. rare. LME-E17.
Capable of producing a certain effect or result; effective, potent, powerful; spec. in Mechanics (of a dimension) effective. LME-E19.
J. Moxon Dr. Dee..as a vertual Proof of his own Learned Plea, quotes two Authentique Authors.
That is so in essence or effect, although not recognized formally, actually, or by strict definition as such; almost absolute. LME.
R. Heilbroner The virtual deification of Mao has made China..a personal theocracy. New York Review of Books The courts have come to a virtual standstill.
b. Optics. Designating the apparent focus or image resulting from the effect of reflection or refraction upon rays of light. E18.
c. Mechanics. Of velocity etc.: possible and infinitesimal. E19.
d. Nuclear Physics. Designating an excited state of an atomic nucleus which has energy in excess of that needed for the emission of a particle, but a lifetime sufficiently long for it to be regarded as a quasi-stationary state. M20.
e. Particle Physics. Designating particles and processes that cannot be directly detected and occur over very short intervals of time and space with correspondingly indefinite energy and momenta. M20.
f. Computing. Not physically existing but made by software to appear to do so from the point of view of the program or the user; esp. in virtual memory below. M20.
Special collocations: virtual cathode Electronics a part of a space charge or electron beam where the potential is a minimum, so that electrons are repelled and positive ions attracted. virtual displacement a notional infinitesimal displacement in a mechanical system that is consistent with the constraints of the system. virtual height the height of an imaginary reflecting plane surface which in free space would give rise to the same travel time for reflected radio waves as an actual ionospheric layer. virtual image: see sense 4b above. virtual memory Computing memory that appears to exist as main storage although most of it is supported by data held in secondary storage, transfer between the two being made automatically as required. virtual pet a electronically-generated animal with which human interaction is possible, such as a Tamagotchi. virtual reality the generation by computer software of an image or environment that appears real to the senses. virtual temperature Meteorology the temperature that dry air would have to have in order to have the same density as a given body of moist air when at the same pressure. virtual work the work done by a force making a virtual displacement.
virtually adverb in a virtual manner; esp. in effect; to all intents; as far as essential qualities or facts are concerned: LME.