Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Delicate
Del′i-cate
,Adj.
[L.
delicatus
pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae
delight: cf. F. délicat
. 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
creatureShak.
4.
Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; – said of a thread, or the like;
as,
. delicate
cotton5.
Slight or smooth; light and yielding; – said of texture;
as,
. delicate
lace or silk6.
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
blue8.
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. Shakespeare
10.
Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical;
as, a
. delicate
subject or questionThere 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
thermometerDel′i-cate
,Noun.
1.
A choice dainty; a delicacy.
[R.]
With abstinence all
delicates
he sees. Dryden.
2.
A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
All the vessels, then, which our
delicates
have, – those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbors, – are only of the Corinth metal. Holland.
Webster 1828 Edition
Delicate
DELICATE
,Adj.
1.
Of a fine texture; fine; soft; smooth; clear, or fair; as a delicate skin.2.
Nice; pleasing to the taste; of an agreeable flavor; as delicate food; a delicate dish.3.
Nice in perception of what is agreeable; dainty; as a delicate taste; and figuratively, nice and discriminating in beauty and deformity.4.
Nice; accurate; fine; soft to the eye; as a delicate color.5.
Nice in forms; regulated by minute observance of propriety, or by condescension and attention to the wishes and feelings of others; as delicate behavior or manners; a delicate address.