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delicate

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also:délicate

English

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Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishdelicat, fromLatindēlicātus(“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, (inMedieval Latin also) fine, slender”), fromdēlicia +‎-ātus (see-ate(adjective-forming suffix)), usually in pluraldēliciae(“pleasure, delight, luxury”), fromdēliciō(“I allure, entice”), fromdē-(“away”) +laciō(“I lure, I deceive”), fromProto-Italic*lakjō(“to draw, pull”), of unknown ultimate origin. Comparedelight,delicious andSpanishdelgado(“thin, skinny”). Thenoun is from asubstantivization of theadjective (see-ate).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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delicate (comparativemoredelicateordelicater,superlativemostdelicateordelicatest)

  1. Easilydamaged or requiring careful handling.
    Those clothes are made fromdelicate lace.
    The negotiations were verydelicate.
    • 1850 April 18, Frederik W. Robertson,An Address Delivered to the Members of the Working Man's Institute‎[1], page 5:
      There are some things toodelicate and too sacred to be handled rudely without injury to truth.
    • 1903,Julian Hawthorne, chapter II, inHawthorne and His Circle, New York, N.Y.; London:Harper & Brothers,→OCLC,page28:
      Indeed, the frosty god conspired with it for our delight; building crystal bridges, with tracery of lacedelicater than Valenciennes, and spangled string-pieces, and fretted vaultings, whimsical sierras, stalactite and stalagmite.
    • 2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, inthe Guardian‎[2]:
      The final vote between Hollande and Sarkozy now depends on adelicate balance of how France's total of rightwing and leftwing voters line up.
  2. Characterized by afine structure orthin lines.
    Her face wasdelicate.
    The spider wove adelicate web.
    There was adelicate pattern of frost on the window.
  3. Intended for use withfragile items.
    Set the washing machine to thedelicate cycle.
  4. Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; said of manners, conduct, or feelings.
    delicate behaviour
    delicate attentions
    delicate thoughtfulness
  5. Ofweakhealth; easilysick; unable to endure hardship.
    adelicate child
    delicate health
  6. (informal)Unwell, especially because of having drunk too muchalcohol.
    Please don't speak so loudly: I'm feeling a bitdelicate this morning.
  7. (obsolete) Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
  8. Pleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste.
    adelicate dish
    delicate flavour
    • 1547 November 9 (Gregorian calendar),Herman[of Wied], anonymous translator, “Of Difference of Meates”, inA Simple, and Religious Consultation of Vs […],[London]: […] I[ohn] D[ay],→OCLC,signature [Ll.vij.], verso:
      [A]mong Chꝛiſten men there haue been now a greate whyle not a fewe, whych haue thought that it is a true faſte, if vpon certaine dayes they abſtayne only from the fleſhe of fowle, and foure footed beaſtes, thoughe in the meane ceaſon they dilitiouſly fede them ſelues with the fleſhe of fiſthes, and other meates much coſtlier, anddelicater, than the commune vſe of fleſhe is.
    • 1665,Johannes Riolanus, translated byNich[olas] Culpeper, “The Division of Mans Body”, inA Sure Guide or, The Best and Nearest Way to Physick and Chirurgery: […] (The Physitian’s Library), London: […] Peter Cole […],→OCLC,page31:
      The Fleſh of man, becauſe its Nouriſhed by purer Blood, isdelicater than the fleſh of other Creatures, and prefered before it by Canibals, or Man-Eaters.
    • 1860 January –1861 April,Anthony Trollope, “Mr. Crawley of Hogglestock”, inFramley Parsonage. […] (Collection of British Authors;551), copyright edition, volume I, Leipzig:Bernhard Tauchnitz, published April 1861,→OCLC,page213:
      They would give up ideas of gentle living, of soft raiment, anddelicate feeding.
  9. Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful.
  10. Light, or softly tinted; said of a colour.
    adelicate shade of blue
  11. Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
  12. Highly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite.
    adelicate taste
    adelicate ear for music
  13. Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes.
    adelicate thermometer

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Related terms

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Descendants

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Translations

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easily damaged or requiring careful handling
characterized by a fine structure or thin lines
intended for use with fragile items
refined, gentle
of weak health, easily sick
unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol
addicted to pleasure
pleasing to the senses; refined
slight and shapely; lovely; graceful
light, or softly tinted
of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
highly discriminating or perceptive
affected by slight causes
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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delicate (pluraldelicates)

  1. A delicate item of clothing, especiallyunderwear orlingerie.
    Don't put that in with your jeans: it's adelicate!
  2. (obsolete) Achoicedainty; adelicacy.
    • 1712, William King,The Art of Cookery, in Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry:
      With Abstinence allDelicates he Sees, / And can regale himself with Toast and Cheese.
  3. (obsolete) A delicate,luxurious, oreffeminate person.
    • 1830, “The Barge's Crew”, inThe Log Book; Or, Nautical Miscellany‎[3], page341:
      A council of war was called, and thedelicates met in the great cabin ; the platform was rigged up on the forecastle, the yard-rope rove, and the signal made for all boats to attend execution
    • 1603,Plutarch, translated byPhilemon Holland,The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield,→OCLC:
      If Lucullus were not a waster and adelicate given to belly-cheare.
  4. Amoth of the speciesMythimna vitellina.

Further reading

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Italian

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /de.liˈka.te/
  • Rhymes:-ate
  • Hyphenation:de‧li‧cà‧te

Adjective

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delicate f pl

  1. feminineplural ofdelicato

Anagrams

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Latin

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Adjective

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dēlicāte

  1. vocativemasculinesingular ofdēlicātus

References

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  • “delicate”, inCharlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879),A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “delicate”, inCharlton T. Lewis (1891),An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “delicate”, inGaffiot, Félix (1934),Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Romanian

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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delicate

  1. feminine/neuterpluralnominative/accusative ofdelicat
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