What does virtuoso mean?
Word: Virtuoso
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Virtuoso means a person who is extremely skilled at something, especially at playing a musical instrument.
Synonyms: maestro, master
Antonyms: novice
Word origin: Goes back to Latin virtus, excellence or worth; English took the word in the 1600s.
How do you spell virtuoso?
Syllables: vir - tu - o - so
Tricky part: Students mix it up with virtuous and slip in an extra u (virtuouso); the word has just one u, and it ends in o.
Watch out for: virtuouso, vertuoso, virtuosso
Memory tip: A virtuoso is so good that the audience can only gasp 'oh, oh': the word has an o in each of its last two syllables.
Virtuoso in a sentence
Example 1: The young tabla virtuoso held the whole hall spellbound for an hour.
Example 2: Even as a child, the chess virtuoso could plan many moves ahead.
Example 3: The pianist's virtuoso solo drew a standing ovation.
Fun Fact
Before it meant a brilliant musician, virtuoso was used in 17th-century England for a learned collector of art, coins and curious objects.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Read the sentences and choose the correct option:
1. Ravi is so virtuoso that he never tells a lie, even to get out of trouble. 2. A violin virtuoso from Chennai opened the music festival.
a) only 2
b) neither
c) both
d) only 1
Show answer
a) only 2. Ravi's honesty makes him virtuous, morally good; a virtuoso is a person of great skill, as in sentence 2.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Virtuoso came into English from ___ and it means ___.
a) Italian / a person with great skill, especially in music
b) French / a person with great skill, especially in music
c) Italian / a person who is honest and good
d) Latin / a teacher of music and dance
Show answer
a) Italian / a person with great skill, especially in music. English borrowed virtuoso from Italian, the language of so many music words, such as soprano and piano.
Sound Check
In which word is 'tu' pronounced differently?
a) ritual
b) tumble
c) virtue
d) virtuoso
Show answer
b) tumble. In virtuoso, virtue and ritual the tu says 'choo'; only tumble keeps a plain 'tuh'.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
12345678 suroivot
a) 56382417
b) 65382417
c) 71428356
d) 65384217
Show answer
b) 65382417. Start with the v in place 6 and the i in place 5; the rest follow as r, t, u, o, s, o.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these people is best described as a virtuoso?
a) a flautist who plays the hardest pieces with ease
b) a shopkeeper who sells flutes and drums
c) a student who has just bought her first flute
d) a listener who hums along at concerts
Show answer
a) a flautist who plays the hardest pieces with ease
2. Which word best describes a virtuoso performance?
a) careless
b) dazzling
c) ordinary
d) hesitant
Show answer
b) dazzling
