virtual
     adj 1: being actually such in almost every respect; "a practical
            failure"; "the once elegant temple lay in virtual
            ruin" [syn: {virtual(a)}, {practical(a)}]
     2: being such in essence or effect though not in actual fact;
        "a virtual dependence on charity"; "a virtual revolution";
        "virtual reality" [syn: {virtual(a)}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0

virtual adj. [via the technical term `virtual memory', prob. from the
   term `virtual image' in optics] 1. Common alternative to {logical};
   often used to refer to the artificial objects (like addressable virtual
   memory larger than physical memory) simulated by a computer system as a
   convenient way to manage access to shared resources. 2. Simulated;
   performing the functions of something that isn't really there. An
   imaginative child's doll may be a virtual playmate. Oppose {real}.


Source: The Jargon File