virtuoso

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The Word of the Day for September 12 is: 

virtuoso   \ver-choo-OH-soh\   noun
          1 : one skilled in or having a taste for the fine arts
    *2 : one who excels in the technique of an art; especially : a highly 
skilled musical performer (as on the violin)
     3 : a person who has great skill at some endeavor

Example sentence:
     Amir is a virtuoso who makes playing the violin look easy.

Did you know?
     English speakers borrowed the Italian noun "virtuoso" in the 1600s. It 
comes in turn from the Italian adjective "virtuoso," which means both 
"virtuous" and "skilled." In English, "virtuoso" can be pluralized as either 
"virtuosos" or "virtuosi," and it is often used attributively ("a virtuoso 
performer"). The first virtuosos were men of substantial knowledge and learning 
("great wits," to quote one 17th-century clergyman). The word was then 
transferred to those skilled in the arts, and by the 18th century it had 
acquired its specific sense applied to musicians. In the 20th century, English 
speakers broadened "virtuoso" again to apply to a person skilled in any 
pursuit. 





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