delicate

ˈdɛləkət

WordNet

Strip of natural colored needlepoint lace, Venise flat. Repetitive motif with split C-shaped tendrils and delicate flowers. Irregular open bar ground with picots. The top is trimmed with a bobbin lace edge. The bottom is finished with a straight picot edge with triangles.

(adj) delicate
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury "a delicate violin passage","delicate china","a delicate flavor","the delicate wing of a butterfly"
(adj) delicate
easily broken or damaged or destroyed "a kite too delicate to fly safely","fragile porcelain plates","fragile old bones","a frail craft"
(adj) delicate
difficult to handle; requiring great tact "delicate negotiations with the big powers","hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter","a touchy subject"
(adj) delicate
developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense"
(adj) delicate
of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments"
(adj) delicate
marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique "a surgeon's delicate touch"
(adj) delicate
easily hurt "soft hands","a baby's delicate skin"

Illustrations

Ladies' costume, "demi-parure" made of shiny printed cotton with a delicate, graceful pattern of vertical stripes and scattered bouquets, partially lined and sewn by hand. The costume, which is intended to be worn over a wide flattened crinoline ("panier"), consists of two parts: 1) a straight four-lane skirt with two hip slits in front of the pockets, sewn in the back of the deep continuous pleats at the waistband, at the front probably in widely spaced pleats on both sides of a smooth middle section (now modernized with little wrinkles [1946]) and with a wide pleated sewn-on valance ("falbala") and a ruffle at the bottom, only at the front. 2) a four-way overcoat ("manteau"), open at the front and flared at the bottom, with a small train and with a white linen-lined lace-up bodice with a wide square neck, at the front close-fitting and with two vests that close with hooks and eyes and of which long blunted slips down, and at the back two double box pleats that run wide from the neck over the waist to the skirt ("pli Watteau"), two pocket slits at the hip from which triple pleats end, half sleeves cut in one piece in the cross section , set high in small folds and smoothing to a point just over the elbow, and on which should be visible faintly (of a strip?), perhaps a fan-shaped cuff ("en eventail"). A lining strip of white linen is sewn along the skirt seam.

Overdress with skirt or robe à la française

A vomiting clergyman with a flag on his hat bearing the text "Les delices de la Vie". The print is part of a series of caricatures of the French clergy under Louis XIV.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Interesting fact

Women wear engagement and wedding rings on the third finger of the left hand because an ancient belief held that a delicate nerve runs directly from that finger to the heart.

Delicate
A choice dainty; a delicacy. "With abstinence all delicates he sees."
Delicate
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."
Delicate
Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring. "Dives, for his delicate life, to the devil went.", "Haarlem is a very delicate town."
Delicate
Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer.
Delicate
Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton.
Delicate
Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue.
Delicate
Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
Delicate
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."
Delicate
Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, “a delicate creature.”
Delicate
Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

Interesting fact

Experiments conducted in Germany and at the University of Southampton in England show that even mild and incidental noises cause the pupils of the eyes to dilate. It is believed that this is why surgeons, watchmakers, and others who perform delicate manual operations are so bothered by noise. The sounds cause their pupils to change focus and blur their vision.

delicate
Pleasing to any of the senses, especially to the sense of taste; dainty; delicious: opposed to coarse or rough.
delicate
Agreeable; delightful; charming.
delicate
Fine in characteristic details; minutely perfect in kind; exquisite in form, proportions, finish, texture, manner, or the like; nice; dainty; charming: as, a delicate being; a delicate skin or fabric; delicate tints.
delicate
Of a fine or refined constitution; refined.
delicate
Nice in construction or operation; exquisitely adjusted or adapted; minutely accurate or suitable: as, a delicate piece of mechanism; a delicate balance or spring.
delicate
Requiring nicety in action; to be approached or performed with caution; precarious; ticklish: as, a delicate surgical operation; a delicate topic of conversation.
delicate
Nice in perception or action; exquisitely acute or dexterous; finely sensitive or exact; deft: as, a delicate touch; a delicate performer or performance.
delicate
Nice in forms; regulated by minute observance of propriety, or by attention to the opinions and feelings of others; refined: as, delicate behavior or manners; a delicate address.
delicate
Susceptible to disease or injury; of a tender constitution; feeble; not able to endure hardship: as, a delicate frame or constitution; delicate health.
delicate
Nice in perception of what is agreeable to the senses or the intellect; peculiarly sensitive to beauty, harmony, or their opposites; dainty; fastidious: as, a delicate taste; a delicate eye for color.
delicate
Full of pleasure; luxurious; sumptuous; delightful.
delicate
Synonyms Pleasant, delicious, palatable, savory. Fastidious, discriminating. Sensitive.
(n) delicate
Something savory, luscious, or delicious; a delicacy; a dainty.
(n) delicate
A fastidious person.

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary

(adj) Delicate
del′i-kāt pleasing to the senses, esp. the taste: dainty: nicely discriminating or perceptive: of a fine, slight texture or constitution: tender: frail, not robust: requiring nice handling: refined in manners: gentle, polite, considerate: luxurious

Quotations

Acting deals with very delicate emotions. It is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts he does not hide; he exposes himself.

Jeanne Moreau

The sharp thorn often produces delicate roses.

Ovid

Delicate humor is the crowning virtue of the saints.

Evelyn Underhill

The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it.

Germaine De Stael

It is a very delicate job to forgive a man, without lowering him in his own estimation, and yours too.

Henry Wheeler Shaw

Chivalry is the most delicate form of contempt.

Albert Guerard

Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary L. delicatus, pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae, delight: cf. F. délicat,. See Delight

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary L. delicātus—deliciæ, allurements, luxury—delicĕre—de, inten., lacĕre, to entice.

Usage in the news

As any experienced ranter can tell you, thinking about it has the unfortunate tendency of turning a good, clean rant into a muddy quagmire of fine points, conditional sentences, and digressions as delicately balanced as a Swiss watch. hutchnews.com

The fact that aluminum cans keep beer fresher longer makes them the perfect vessel for this delicate but extremely hoppy, almost IPA-like brew that falls outside usual styles. mensjournal.com

It will be hitting the shelves in March with a refreshed recipe, brewed with Fair Trade Certified green tea leaves, sweetened with organic stevia and infused with passion fruit and tangy hibiscus for a delicate flavor. groceryheadquarters.com

From farmer to consumer, logistics professionals must ensure this delicate cargo arrives quickly, and just as importantly, fresh. foodlogistics.com

The balance between keeping employees happy and saving money can be delicate. hemispheresmagazine.com

I love gathering the delicately scented petals --pale pink, fuchsia, and white--the way some folks collect seashells. yankeemagazine.com

They're glossy and golden outside, and delicate and flaky inside, with a heavenly buttery flavor. phoenixnewtimes.com

Tuesday and her mother Woolly are delicate eaters when it comes to mint, gnawing down only about an inch a week. newsminer.com

Icelandic quartet Pascal Pinon make delicate, quirky and adorable acoustic folk. kexp.org

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy has won praise for his government's effort to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, a delicate balancing act for the country's nation's first freely elected leader. kesq.com

A good vintage-clothing store requires a delicate balance of quality, selection, price and idiosyncratic personnel. riverfronttimes.com

WHEN NOT being breached by angry mobs, US embassies around the world continue to engage in their long, delicate traditions of public and cultural diplomacy. tnr.com

"The sun's rays are drying on the delicate lip tissue," Henriksen says. instyle.com

It is fawning season for Georgia's whitetails, and – at least anecdotally – the delicate, spotted newborns are scarcer than ever. chronicle.augusta.com

Everyone knows what pregnancy test s are used for, but you may not know that they can also detect another delicate condition – testicular cancer in men. blog.beaumontenterprise.com

Usage in scientific papers

The delicate point is the moment of its ﬁrst visit to r .
Random incidence matrices: moments of the spectral density

This implies that a delicate subtraction of the foreground emissions is required to access the extragalactic domain.
High-Redshift Galaxies: The Far-Infrared and Sub-Millimeter View

Rudelson [R] (see also [P]) previously proved by a delicate construction of a ma jorizing measure.
Coordinate restrictions of linear operators in $l_2^n$

This transduction of a nuclear spin to an electron spin is a delicate process and diﬃcult to implement with high enough ﬁdelity.
Prospects for a Quantum Dynamic Random Access Memory (Q-DRAM)

It is the tidal ﬁeld (the outer part) that requires delicate handling.
Multiscale Gaussian Random Fields for Cosmological Simulations

Usage in literature

He must be handled delicately, or he is spoilt. "Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.)" by Leslie Stephen

My mother's health was very delicate. "Ernest Linwood" by Caroline Lee Hentz

Morality is a delicate act of adjustment on the soul's part, not a rule or a prescription. "Fantasia of the Unconscious" by D. H. Lawrence

The anterior or outer wall of the cavity is formed by the mantle; the posterior, inner, or visceral wall by a delicate membrane. "Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3" by Various

No starch should be used in the caps or strings, and there should be no ruffles to scratch the delicate skin of the baby. "The Mother and Her Child" by William S. Sadler

He has not given us this delicate sense of Beauty to be neglected. "Aims and Aids for Girls and Young Women" by George Sumner Weaver

A child could actuate it, and it would print delicately a thousand envelopes an hour. "Clayhanger" by Arnold Bennett

His whole character will be impressionable, and will respond to the most delicate touches of Nature. "Pushing to the Front" by Orison Swett Marden

It will suit equally well the delicate young lady and the strong labourer. "Papers on Health" by John Kirk

While young, the roots are delicate, mild, and well flavored; but, when full grown, valuable only for stock. "The Field and Garden Vegetables of America" by Fearing Burr

Usage in poetry

"O hasten, 'tis our time,
Ere yet the red summer
Scorch our delicate prime,
Loved of bee, the tawny hummer.

"To Ellen, At The South" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take it at night to my pillow,
Kiss it before I sleep,
And again when the delicate morning
Beginneth to peep?

"The Passionate Reader To His Poet" by Richard Le Gallienne

The neighbour green casts shadows of green
On my blind;
The moss, soaked in dew,
Takes the least print
Like delicate velvet.

"Written On A Wall In Spring" by Edward Powys Mathers

Lovely one,
With delicate hands and slender feet
Like a silver pony,
Walking, flower of the world,
Thus I see you,
Lovely one.

"Lovely One" by Pablo Neruda

NOTHING is better, I well think,
Than love; the hidden well-water
Is not so delicate to drink:
This was well seen of me and her.

"The Leper" by Algernon Charles Swinburne

Then, for expressions delicate,
The tribe Levitic, imitate
Thus, when you in the pulpit stand,
Adorn'd with powder'd wig and band.

"To A Friend Going Into The Ministry" by William Hutton