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delicate

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delicate


  3  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  1.6  [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" 




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