See Also: Delicate(medicine)
delicate(dictionary)
delicate(dictionary)

delicate (iou)



delicate adjective & noun. LME.
[Old & mod. French delicat or Latin delicatus, of unkn. origin: see -ATE2.]
A. adjective.
Delightful, pleasant, charming, lovely, nice. Now only of food: dainty and palatable. LME.
Evelyn Haerlem is a very delicate town. G. White The sun broke out into a warm delicate day. M. Pattison Not to take delight in delicate meats.
Characterized by sensuous delight; luxurious, voluptuous; (of a person) given to pleasure or luxury. LME-M18.
Self-indulgent, indolent. LME-E17.
Fastidious, particular. LME-L18.
Not robust; effeminate. LME-L17.
Shakespeare Hamlet Witness this army..Led by a delicate and tender prince.
Of weakly constitution; liable to illness or injury; not strong. LME.
in a delicate condition: see CONDITION noun 8.
V. Woolf I am supposed..to be too delicate to go with them, since I get so easily tired and am then sick.
b. Fragile; easily spoiled or damaged. M16.
K. Ishiguro The teacup..was of the same delicate material.
Fine in texture, finish, quality, workmanship, etc.; exquisitely shaped or constructed; slight, slender, soft. LME.
E. Waugh A delicate pair of gold manicure scissors. J. Harvey It was a fine face with delicate edges and corners.
b. Soft or subdued in colour. E19.
D. H. Lawrence Looking at the water, I perceived a delicate flush from the west.
Having finely-developed perception, feeling, appreciation, etc.; (of a person or instrument) sensitive. M16.
T. Heggen Ensign Pulver's feet were enormous and he was delicate about them. G. Orwell You could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick it up.
Finely skilful. L16.
Shakespeare Othello So delicate with her needle.
b. Characterized by skilful action. L16-L17.
Sensitive to propriety, modesty, or the feelings of others; avoiding what is offensive or immodest. M17.
L. Sterne We were both too delicate to communicate what we felt to each other upon the occasion.
So slight as to be hard to appreciate; subtle. L17.
A. Bain Discrimination of the most delicate differences.
Requiring careful and skilful handling; ticklish. M18.
S. Naipaul The subject is a delicate one and I do not pursue it. E. Reveley The whole thing will take some pretty delicate manoeuvering.
b. noun.
A person with luxurious or fastidious tastes. LME-E18.
A luxury, a delight; esp. a choice item of food. Now rare or obsolete. LME.
delicately adverb LME.
delicateness noun M16.