Virtutibus

Virtutibus is a Latin plural form of virtus in the dative and ablative cases. Virtus, meaning virtue, courage, or moral excellence, belongs to the third declension. The plural forms are virtutes in the nominative, virtutibus in the dative and ablative, virtutum in the genitive, and virtutes in the accusative. Thus virtutibus can be either dative plural or ablative plural depending on its syntactic role.

Grammatical function: In the dative plural, virtutibus marks the indirect object or beneficiary of an action, indicating to/for the virtues or for someone associated with virtues. In the ablative plural, it can express means, instrument, manner, or accompaniment, conveying “by means of the virtues” or “with the virtues.” The precise translation is driven by context and by the governing verb or preposition.

Usage: Virtutibus appears in classical and later Latin texts, especially in moral, philosophical, religious, and rhetorical passages where virtue is a central theme or where virtues are treated as agents, beneficiaries, or means. As a form, it is a standard example of how Latin uses case endings to indicate relationship and function rather than relying on word order alone.

See also: virtus, virtutes, virtutum.