objet de vertu

noun

An object of particular interest for reasons of history, workmanship etc.

OriginFrench objet →
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Meanings

nounobjet de vertu (plural objets de vertu)

plural objets de vertu

  1. An object of particular interest for reasons of history, workmanship etc.

    We impotents are great collectors of objets de vertu, snuffboxes, musical boxes, knick-knacks.

    1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 260

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
article of virtu

Origin

  1. Frenchobjet
  2. Englishobjet de vertu

From French objet + de + variant form of English virtu, after e.g. English objet d'art, from French objet d'art. The term objet de vertu does not exist in French.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

objet de vertu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/objet%20de%20vertu

MLA

“objet de vertu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/objet%20de%20vertu. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “objet de vertu,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/objet%20de%20vertu.

Source: objet de vertu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.