5 ANOTHER SET

 

5  VIRTUE,  VIRTUOUS,  VIRTUAL , VITREOUS,  VIRAL

For the current episode on ‘look-alike’  the above terms are chosen for understanding them.

VIRTUE [noun]

The term refers to human personality in terms of moral standing of the person. Being a reference to moral quality in a person , a trait of staying  morally good is deemed a ‘VIRTUE’. It is also a refernce to behaviour which shows high moral standards. Patience is regarded a virtue .

Another tell-tale expression “He succeeded by virtue of his tenacity than by talent”.

VIRTUOUS [adjective]

Virtuous is an expression of possessing good qualities /behaviour that comprise virtue There are a  few situations where the adjective [virtuous] lends a lethal blow to the claims of virtue.  For instance 

1] He runs a charity just to ‘look’ virtuous.

2 Another saying “The priest looks virtuous on Sundays” [Does it not cast a  shadow on priest over the rest of the week?]

3 A virtuous person feels [s]he is morally superior to other people [ a polite suggestion of inflated ego and ego is no virtue ]

VIRTUAL [adjective] .

By itself, the term conveys the sense of “almost” in most situations . It almost means that the look is apparent and not physically real [as in the case of “Virtual Classroom”].

Also, [S]He feels a prisoner at home .[ the person is at home and feels almost to be in prison. So the prison sugested is just virtual though its impact renders the feeling of being in prison.

The firm works in ‘virtual secrecy’ suggests that the operations are almost like secrets. Thus in ‘my understanding’ the term virtual can refer to truth or falsehood in true sense as in virtual prisoner or virtual classroom.

VITREOUS [ adjective]

The term ‘vitreous’ is a reference to appearance  which sugests ‘glass like’ form or shine or by smoothness of  surface. A product made of something similar to glass is ‘vitreous’. Vitreous is a reference to sheen or polish in a material

VIRAL [adjective]

The term ‘ viral’ refers to disease or disorder caused by VIRUS. Terms like viral infection or viral flu  clearly reveal that the reference is to the causal agent- The Virus.

With tha advent of technology and tools for communication –the term ‘VIRAL’  connotes a very different event like the fast and vast spreading of information much like what happens in an outbreak of viral disease.. So, they say the news/ video has become ‘viral’.

Hopefully, the day’s subject matter turns ‘viral’ for good.

Prof. K.. Raman