Full Idea
'Areté' signifies lack of perplexity [euporia, ease of movement], and that the flow of a good soul is unimpeded.
Gist of Idea
'Arete' signifies lack of complexity and a free-flowing soul
Source
Plato (Cratylus [c.375 BCE], 415d)
Book Reference
Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.133
A Reaction
Some highly dubious etymology going on here, and throughout 'Cratylus', but it gives a nice feeling for the way Socrates and Plato saw virtue.