4 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Delicate \Del"i*cate\, a. [L. delicatus pleasing the senses,
voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F.
d['e]licat. See {Delight}.]
1. Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
[R.]
Dives, for his delicate life, to the devil went.
--Piers
Plowman.
Haarlem is a very delicate town. --Evelyn.
2. Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence,
adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine;
elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor.
3. Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, ``a delicate
creature.'' --Shak.
4. Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread,
or the like; as, delicate cotton.
5. Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture;
as, delicate lace or silk.
6. Soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a
delicate cheek; a delicate complexion.
7. Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a
delicate blue.
8. Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend;
considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as,
delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate
thoughtfulness.
9. Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail;
effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a
delicate child; delicate health.
A delicate and tender prince. --Shak.
10. Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily
dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or
question.
There are some things too delicate and too sacred
to be handled rudely without injury to truth. --F.
W. Robertson.
11. Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
12. Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical;
sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate
ear for music.
13. Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a
delicate thermometer.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Delicate \Del"i*cate\, n.
1. A choice dainty; a delicacy. [R.]
With abstinence all delicates he sees. --Dryden.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
delicate
adj 1: exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to
injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china";
"a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a
butterfly" [ant: {rugged}]
2: marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a
surgeon's delicate touch"
3: easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate
to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old
bones"; "a frail craft" [syn: {fragile}, {frail}]
4: easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn: {soft}]
5: developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire
touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human
pretense" [syn: {finespun}]
6: difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate
negotiations with the big powers"; "hesitates to be
explicit on so ticklish a matter" [syn: {ticklish}]
7: of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute
differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable
with even the most delicate instruments"
From eng-fra [engfra]:
delicate
[delikeit]
délicat, tendre