What does “virtual” mean?

vir·tu·al

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adj.
1. Existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name: the virtual extinction of the buffalo.
2. Existing in the mind, especially as a product of the imagination. Used in literary criticism of a text.
3. Computers
a. Existing as or by means of digital media: a virtual classroom.
b. Relating to or existing in virtual reality: a virtual encounter in a chatroom.
c. Emulating the function of another system or device.
[Middle English virtuall, effective, from Medieval Latin virtuālis, from Latin virtūs, excellence; see VIRTUE.]
vir′tu·ali·ty (-ălĭ-tē) n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
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