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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ex·quis·ite

Audio Help [ik-skwiz-it, ek-skwi-zit] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	of special beauty or charm, or rare and appealing excellence, as a face, a flower, coloring, music, or poetry.

2.	extraordinarily fine or admirable; consummate: exquisite weather.

3.	intense; acute, or keen, as pleasure or pain.

4.	of rare excellence of production or execution, as works of art or workmanship: the exquisite statues of the Renaissance.

5.	keenly or delicately sensitive or responsive: an exquisite ear for music; an exquisite sensibility.

6.	of particular refinement or elegance, as taste, manners, etc., or persons.

7.	carefully sought out, chosen, ascertained, devised, etc.

–noun

8.	Archaic. a person, esp. a man, who is excessively concerned about clothes, grooming, etc.; dandy; coxcomb.

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < L exquīsītus meticulous, chosen with care, orig. ptp. of exquīrere to ask about, examine = ex- ex-¹ + -quīrere, comb. form of quaerere to seek

]

—Related forms

ex·quis·ite·ly, adverb

ex·quis·ite·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. dainty, beautiful, elegant, rare. See delicate. 2. perfect, matchless. See fine¹ 3. poignant. 4. select, choice, precious. 6. discriminating.

—Antonyms 1. gross. 2. ordinary. 3. dull.

—Pronunciation note The pronunciation of exquisite has undergone a rapid change from

Audio Help [ek-skwi-zit] Pronunciation Key to

Audio Help [ik-skwiz-it], with stress shifting to the second syllable. The newer pronunciation is still criticized by some, but is now more common in both the U.S. and England, and many younger educated speakers are not even aware of the older one. See harass.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Exquisite

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ex·qui·site Audio Help (ěk'skwĭ-zĭt, ĭk-skwĭz'ĭt) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Characterized by intricate and beautiful design or execution: an exquisite chalice.
Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse intense delight: an exquisite sunset. See Synonyms at delicate.
Excellent; flawless: plays the piano with exquisite technique.
Acutely perceptive or discriminating: "Blind dolphins have been known to survive in the wild, guided by exquisite acoustic images of their prey" (Kenneth Browser).
Intense; keen: suffered exquisite pain.
Obsolete Ingeniously devised or thought out.

n. One who is excessively fastidious in dress, manners, or taste.

[Middle English exquisit, carefully chosen, from Latin exquīsītus, past participle of exquīrere, to search out : ex-, ex- + quaerere, to seek.]

ex'qui·site·ly adv., ex'qui·site·ness n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
exquisite

c.1430, "carefully selected," from L. exquisitus "carefully sought out," thus, "choice," from pp. of exquirere "search out," from ex- "out" + quærere "to seek" (see query). A vogue word 15c.-18c., given wide extensions of meaning, none of which survives. The main modern sense of "of consummate and delightful excellence" is first attested 1579, in Lyly's "Euphues."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

exquisite
adjective
1.	intense or sharp; "suffered exquisite pain"; "felt exquisite pleasure"
2.	lavishly elegant and refined
3.	delicately beautiful; "a dainty teacup"; "an exquisite cameo" [syn: dainty]
4.	of extreme beauty; "her exquisite face"

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
exquisite [ˈekskwizit, iksˈkwizit] adjective

very beautiful or skilful
Example: exquisite embroidery

Arabic:	رائِع، مُتألِّق
Chinese (Simplified):	精致的
Chinese (Traditional):	精致的
Czech:	vynikající, nádherný
Danish:	elegant; udsøgt
Dutch:	verfijnd
Estonian:	peen
Finnish:	hieno
French:	exquis
German:	ausgezeichnet
Greek:	εξαίσιος
Hungarian:	kitűnő
Icelandic:	frábær, snilldar-
Indonesian:	indah sekali, halus
Italian:	squisito, raffinato

Japanese:	絶妙な
Korean:	정교한
Latvian:	izmeklēts; izsmalcināts
Lithuanian:	nuostabus, subtilus
Norwegian:	utsøkt, meget fin
Polish:	wyborny, przepiękny
Portuguese (Brazil):	primoroso
Portuguese (Portugal):	refinado
Romanian:	superb
Russian:	изысканный
Slovak:	nádherný
Slovenian:	izvrsten
Spanish:	exquisito
Swedish:	utsökt, fin
Turkish:	çok güzel, enfes

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ex·qui·site (kskw-zt, k-skwzt)
n.

Extremely intense, keen, or sharp. Used of pain or tenderness.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: ex·qui·site
Pronunciation: ik-'skwiz-&t, ek-
Function: adjective
: ACUTE 2a : INTENSE 1 <exquisite pain> —ex·qui·site·ly /-lE/ adverb

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Exquisite

Ex*quire"\, v. t. [L. exquirere. See Exquisite.] To search into or out. [Obs.] --Chapman.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Exquisite

Ex"qui*site\, a. [L. exquisitus, p. p. of exquirere to search out; ex out + quarere to seek, search. See Quest.]

1. Carefully selected or sought out; hence, of distinguishing and surpassing quality; exceedingly nice; delightfully excellent; giving rare satisfaction; as, exquisite workmanship.

Plate of rare device, and jewels Of reach and exquisite form. --Shak.

I have no exquisite reason for 't, but I have reason good enough. --Shak.

2. Exceeding; extreme; keen; -- used in a bad or a good sense; as, exquisite pain or pleasure.

3. Of delicate perception or close and accurate discrimination; not easy to satisfy; exact; nice; fastidious; as, exquisite judgment, taste, or discernment.

His books of Oriental languages, wherein he was exquisite. --Fuller.

Syn: Nice; delicate; exact; refined; choice; rare; matchless; consummate; perfect.

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