delicate. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

delicate

SYLLABICATION:	del·i·cate
PRONUNCIATION:	dl-kt
ADJECTIVE:	1. Pleasing to the senses, especially in a subtle way: a delicate flavor; a delicate violin passage. 2. Exquisitely fine or dainty: delicate china. 3. Frail in constitution or health. 4. Easily broken or damaged: a kite too delicate to fly. 5. Marked by sensitivity of discrimination: a critic's delicate perception. 6a. Considerate of the feelings of others. b. Concerned with propriety. c. Squeamish or fastidious. 7. Requiring tactful treatment: a delicate situation. 8. Fine or soft in touch or skill: a surgeon's delicate touch. 9. Measuring, indicating, or responding to very small changes; precise: a delicate set of scales. 10. Very subtle in difference or distinction.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English delicat and French délicat, both from Latin dlictus, pleasing; akin to akin to dlicia, pleasure. See delicious.
OTHER FORMS:	deli·cate·ly —ADVERB deli·cate·ness —NOUN
SYNONYMS:	delicate, choice, dainty, elegant, exquisite, fine¹ These adjectives mean appealing to refined taste: a delicate flavor; choice exotic flowers; a dainty dish; elegant handwriting; an exquisite wine; the finest embroidery. See also synonyms at fragile.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.