Virtuous Frenchman seen before spoken exam (5)
I believe the answer is:
moral
'virtuous' is the definition.
(associated in meaning)
'frenchman seen before spoken exam' is the wordplay.
'frenchman' becomes 'm' (abbreviation for Monsieur - like 'Mr').
'seen before' says to put letters next to each other.
'spoken exam' becomes 'oral' (oral examination).
'm'+'oral'='MORAL'
(Other definitions for moral that I've seen before include "Lesson of a fable" , "Behaving ethically" , "ethical standard" , "Virtuous and principled" , "Relating to good and evil" .)