virtual

English

Alternative forms

• vertual, virtuall (obsolete)
• vertuall (obsolete, rare)

Etymology

From Middle English vertual, virtual, from Medieval Latin virtuālis, from virtus (“virtue”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɜːtʃuəl/, /ˈvɜːtʃəl/

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvɝtʃuəl/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈvɵːtʃuəl/, /ˈvɵːtʃəl/, [ˈvɵːtʃɯ(l)]
• Hyphenation: vir‧tu‧al, vir‧tual

Adjective

virtual (not comparable)

1. In effect or essence, if not in fact or reality; imitated, simulated.

   In fact a defeat on the battlefield, Tet was a virtual victory for the North, owing to its effect on public opinion.

   Virtual addressing allows applications to believe that there is much more physical memory than actually exists.

   • c. 1869, William Fleming, Vocabulary of Philosophy: Moral, Ethical, Metaphysical

     A thing has a virtual existence when it has all the conditions necessary to its actual existence.

   • 1840, Thomas De Quincey, Style (published in Blackwood's Magazine)

     to mask by slight differences in the manner a virtual identity in the substance

2. Having the power of acting or of invisible efficacy without the agency of the material or measurable part; potential.
   • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] VVilliam Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], OCLC 1044372886:

     Heat and cold have a virtual transition, without communication of substance.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book 10”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Every kind that lives, / Fomented by his virtual power and warmed.

3. Nearly, almost. (A relatively recent development in meaning)

   The angry peasants were a virtual army as they attacked the castle.

   • 2012, Chelsea 6-0 Wolves [1]

     The Chelsea captain was a virtual spectator as he was treated to his side's biggest win for almost two years as Stamford Bridge serenaded him with chants of "there's only one England captain," some 48 hours after he announced his retirement from international football.

4. Simulated in a computer or online.

   The virtual world of his computer game allowed character interaction.

5. Operating by computer or in cyberspace; not physically present.
   • 2020 August 10, Abigail Abrams, “Tech Companies Are Transforming People’s Bedrooms Into ‘Virtual Hospitals.’ Will It Last Post-COVID?”, in Time‎^[2]:

     In recent months, hospitals around the country, looking for ways to free up beds for coronavirus patients, began expanding their virtual offerings, launching video doctors’ visits and virtual therapy sessions, and rolling out programs to remotely monitor vulnerable patients, like those in nursing homes.

   a virtual assistant; a virtual personal trainer

6. (computing, object-oriented programming, of a class member) Capable of being overridden with a different implementation in a subclass.
7. (physics) Pertaining to particles in temporary existence due to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

Synonyms

• (in effect or essence): de facto

Antonyms

• real

Derived terms

• virtual reality
• virtuality
• virtually

Translations

in effect; not fact

• Bulgarian: виртуа́лен (bg) (virtuálen)
• Catalan: virtual (ca)
• Danish: virtuel
• Dutch: virtueel (nl)
• Finnish: näennäinen (fi), virtuaalinen (fi)
• French: virtuel (fr)
• Galician: virtual m or f
• Georgian: ფაქტიური (pakṭiuri)
• German: eigentlich (de), virtuell (de)
• Greek: εικονικός (el) m (eikonikós)
• Hebrew: כאילו‎ (he) (keílu), כביכול‎ (he) (kivjakhól)
• Indonesian: maya (id)
• Italian: virtuale (it)

• Japanese: 事実上の (じじつじょうの, jijitsujō no)
• Korean: 사실상의 (sasilsang'ui)
• Latin: virtualis
• Maori: mariko
• Persian: مجازی‎ (fa) (majâzi)
• Polish: wirtualny (pl), dosłowny (pl), rzeczywisty (pl)
• Portuguese: virtual (pt)
• Russian: сло́вно (ru) (slóvno), бу́дто бы (búdto by)
• Spanish: virtual (es)
• Turkish: sanal (tr)
• Ukrainian: я́к би (ják by)

simulated in a computer

• Arabic: خَيَالِيّ‎ (ar) m (ḵayāliyy)
• Belarusian: віртуа́льны (virtuálʹny)
• Bengali: ভার্চুয়াল (bharcuẏal)
• Bulgarian: виртуа́лен (bg) (virtuálen)
• Catalan: virtual (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 虛擬, 虚拟 (heoi¹ ji⁵)

  Mandarin: 虛擬 (zh), 虚拟 (zh) (xūnǐ)

• Czech: virtuální (cs) m
• Dutch: virtueel (nl)
• Esperanto: virtuala
• Finnish: virtuaalinen (fi)
• French: virtuel (fr)
• Galician: virtual
• Georgian: ვირტუალური (virṭualuri)
• German: computersimuliert
• Greek: εικονικός (el) m (eikonikós)

• Hebrew: ווירטואלי‎ (virtuáli)
• Hungarian: virtuális (hu)
• Indonesian: maya (id)
• Irish: fíorúil
• Italian: virtuale (it)
• Japanese: 仮想の (かそうの, kasō no)
• Kazakh: виртуалды (vïrtwaldı), виртуалдық (vïrtwaldıq)
• Malay: maya
• Maori: mariko
• Polish: wirtualny (pl)
• Portuguese: virtual (pt)
• Russian: виртуа́льный (ru) (virtuálʹnyj)
• Swedish: virtuell (sv)
• Thai: เสมือนจริง
• Turkish: sanal (tr)
• Ukrainian: віртуальний (uk) (virtualʹnyj)
• Walloon: forveyou (wa) m

nearly, almost

• Catalan: virtual (ca)
• Finnish: melkein (fi)
• French: pratiquement (fr)
• Galician: virtual m or f

• Georgian: თითქმის (titkmis), ფაქტობრივად (pakṭobrivad), რეალურად (realurad)
• German: fast (de), praktisch wie
• Japanese: ほとんど (ja) (hotondo)
• Turkish: neredeyse (tr)

in object-oriented programming

• Catalan: virtual (ca)
• Finnish: näennäis-
• Galician: virtual
• Greek: εικονικός (el) m (eikonikós)
• Hebrew: ווירטואלי‎ (virtuáli)

• Irish: fíorúil
• Portuguese: virtual (pt)
• Russian: виртуа́льный (ru) (virtuálʹnyj)
• Ukrainian: віртуа́льний (uk) (virtuálʹnyj)

Noun

virtual (plural virtuals)

1. (computing, programming) A virtual member function of a class.

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Catalan

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /viɾ.tuˈal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /bir.tuˈal/

Adjective

virtual (masculine and feminine plural virtuals)

1. virtual (in effect or essence, if not in fact or reality)

Derived terms

• virtualitat
• virtualitzar
• virtualment

Further reading

• “virtual” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “virtual” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “virtual” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “virtual” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Middle English

Adjective

virtual

1. Alternative form of vertual

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Piedmontese

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /virˈtɥal/

Adjective

virtual

1. virtual

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /viɾtuˈaɫ/, /viɾˈtwaɫ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌviʁ.tuˈaw/, /viʁˈtwaw/

Adjective

virtual m or f (plural virtuais, comparable)

1. virtual (in effect or essence, not in fact or reality)
2. virtual (simulated in a computer)

Derived terms

• virtualidade
• virtualizar
• virtualmente

Further reading

• “virtual” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

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Romanian

Etymology

From French virtuel

Adjective

virtual m or n (feminine singular virtuală, masculine plural virtuali, feminine and neuter plural virtuale)

1. virtual

Declension

Declension of virtual

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	virtual		virtuală	virtuali	virtuale
	definite	virtualul		virtuala	virtualii	virtualele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	virtual		virtuale	virtuali	virtuale
	definite	virtualului		virtualei	virtualilor	virtualelor

Derived terms

• realitate virtuală

Related terms

• virtualitate

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Spanish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biɾˈtwal/, [biɾˈt̪wal]
• Hyphenation: vir‧tual

Adjective

virtual (plural virtuales)

1. virtual

Derived terms

• realidad virtual
• virtualidad
• virtualmente

Further reading

• “virtual” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.