Delicate word meaning and definition

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

\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.
\Del"i*cate\, n. 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.

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