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/
• (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.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Fleming

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

   • (Can we date this quote?) De Quincey

     to mask by slight differences in the manners 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.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Francis Bacon

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

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     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.

   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

• de facto

Antonyms

• de jure
• legal
• real

Derived terms

• virtual reality
• 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 (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)
• Bengali: ভার্চুয়াল (bharcuyal)
• Bulgarian: виртуа́лен (bg) (virtuálen)
• Catalan: virtual (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 虛擬 (heoi¹ ji⁵)

  Mandarin: 虚拟 (zh) (xūnǐ), 虛擬 (zh) (xūnǐ)

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

• Greek: εικονικός (el) m (eikonikós)
• Hebrew: ווירטואלי‎ (virtuáli)
• Indonesian: maya (id)
• Irish: fíorúil
• Italian: virtuale (it)
• Japanese: 仮想の (かそうの, kasō no)
• 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)
• 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

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Middle English

Adjective

virtual

1. Alternative form of vertual

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Piedmontese

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Adjective

virtual

1. virtual

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viɾtuˈaɫ/, /viɾˈtwaɫ/

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)

Further reading

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

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Spanish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin virtuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /birˈtwal/, [birˈt̪wal]
• Hyphenation: vir‧tual

Adjective

virtual (plural virtuales)

1. virtual

Further reading

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