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delicacy

[del-i-kuh-see]

noun, plural -cies.

fineness of texture, quality, etc.; softness; daintiness: the delicacy of lace.

something delightful or pleasing, especially a choice food considered with regard to its rarity, costliness, or the like: Caviar is a great delicacy.

the quality of being easily broken or damaged; fragility.

the quality of requiring or involving great care or tact: negotiations of great delicacy.

extreme sensitivity; precision of action or operation; minute accuracy: the delicacy of a skillful surgeon's touch; a watch mechanism of unusual delicacy.

EXPAND

fineness of perception or feeling; sensitiveness: the delicacy of the pianist's playing.

fineness of feeling with regard to what is fitting, proper, etc.: Delicacy would not permit her to be rude.

sensitivity with regard to the feelings of others: She criticized him with such delicacy that he was not offended.

bodily weakness; liability to sickness; frailty.

10.

Linguistics. (especially in systemic linguistics) the degree of minuteness pursued at a given stage of analysis in specifying distinctions in linguistic description.

11.

Obsolete. sensuous indulgence; luxury.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English delicasie. See delicate, -cy

Related forms

hy·per·del·i·ca·cy, noun

Synonyms
5. sensitivity, discrimination; prudence, consideration, circumspection.

Antonyms
1, 6. coarseness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To delicacy

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Delicacy is always a great word to know.

So is asterisk. Does it mean:

a mark (?) used as a diacritic over a vowel, as ?, ?, ?, to indicate a vowel sound different from that of the letter without the diacritic

a star (*) used to mark utterance that would be considered ungrammatical or otherwise unacceptable by native speakers of a language

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Example Sentences

Cruz's makeup is heavier, and the delicacy of her features is lost.

Black is the colour of war, bat soup a local delicacy.

Amazingly, the meat of some pufferfish is considered a delicacy.

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Cruz's makeup is heavier, and the delicacy of her features is lost.

Black is the colour of war, bat soup a local delicacy.

Amazingly, the meat of some pufferfish is considered a delicacy.

If not with grain then with insects processed into a choice delicacy.

The escamoles, more commonly known as ant eggs, are another highly valued delicacy.

Make sure your armadillo chili is well-cooked should you decide to try the regional delicacy.

Mensinger was a dancer of special delicacy with a heightened sense of the fine details of choreography.

From rather unpromising-sounding subject matter she fashions short stories of extraordinary delicacy and resonance.

They are considered a delicacy by many people around the world.

In more than several countries, dog is considered to be a delicacy.

They'll be excited to get your unique gift of a home made delicacy.

In other words, there is a ready and profitable sale for frogs' legs as a table delicacy.

Liotard's small pastel drawings, watercolours, enamels and miniatures are renowned for their grace and delicacy.

Pangolin meat is also considered a popular delicacy.

The animals are sought for their fins, which are a delicacy in soup.

There is a harmony in the gathering, a charm and delicacy that seldom is noticeable in public art rooms.

China will continue to approach its unpredictable neighbour with a certain delicacy.

The bird was considered a delicacy in medieval times.

Congressional pork is a much appreciated local delicacy.

Their land predators include jaguars and some native peoples who consider proboscis monkey a delicacy.

But he needs to do this with a delicacy of touch that has eluded the congressional wing of his party.

One threatened bird is the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are a valuable delicacy and widely collected by local people.

It is a show of wealth and power to be able to afford such a delicacy.

The hunters also look forward to fresh muktuk, the top layer of blubber and skin, which is prized as a traditional delicacy.

But because some high officials also had their snouts in the trough, this case needs to be handled with extreme delicacy.

Nance trees have delicious yellow fruits that are a delicacy to both wildlife and local people.

The delicacy of the acting reinforces the sense of hopelessness.

Mooncakes, a delicacy sold in the autumn, now come stuffed with chocolate as well as the standard beans and egg.

Naturally delicacy is needed to wind down a failed economic policy.

And they're more aware of the delicacy of the bonds that link a company's workforce.

Oshima's work combined the delicacy of wire with the solidity of stone.

As they got closer to the body, they switched to pocketknives, carving with an archaeological delicacy.

Devotees of that luxuriously fatty, deep-sea delicacy will.

Many argue that the delicacy of the ribbon is what gives these microphones their desirable warmth and character of tone.

Once a delicacy rarely seen in produce markets, figs are now sold in late summer in stores.

They are remarkable not only for their scientific observation, but also for their vitality of line and delicacy of modeling.

The eggs of certain fish, mainly sturgeon, are prepared as a delicacy known as caviar.

Separating the silly man from the gifted artist requires delicacy of the highest order.

The delicacy of the parent-child struggle makes this a memorable piece of writing.

The delicacy of this food and the precise rhythms of its presentation have the soothing effect of meditation.

He would often generously withdraw a half-chewed delicacy from his mouth and lovingly cram it into mine.

Inside the building this quality of restraint gives way to an intoxicating blend of muscularity and delicacy.

These were not the bigger species of the insect, which can be fried in oil and sold as a delicacy for a good price.

But the animators' delicacy is wasted on a crude, idiotic story.

But out of that crude physicality come images of hauntingly strange delicacy and beauty.

More astonishing than his suits was the delicacy of his evening dresses.

Iglesias's delicacy is a deliberate choice, not a question of lung power.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

delicacy (ˈdɛlɪkəsɪ)

—n , pl -cies
1.	fine or subtle quality, character, construction, etc: delicacy of craftsmanship
2.	fragile, soft, or graceful beauty
3.	something that is considered choice to eat, such as caviar
4.	fragile construction or constitution; frailty
5.	refinement of feeling, manner, or appreciation: the delicacy of the orchestra's playing
6.	fussy or squeamish refinement, esp in matters of taste, propriety, etc
7.	need for tactful or sensitive handling
8.	accuracy or sensitivity of response or operation, as of an instrument
9.	(in systemic grammar) the level of detail at which a linguistic description is made; the degree of fine distinction in a linguistic description
10.	obsolete gratification, luxury, or voluptuousness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

delicacy

late 14c., "quaity of being addicted to sensuous pleasure," from delicate. Meaning "fineness, softness, tender loveliness" is from 1580s; that of "weakness of constitution" is from 1630s. Meaning "a dainty viand" is from mid-15c.

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"What an antithetical mind!—tenderness, roughness—delicacy, coarseness—sentiment, sensuality—soaring and grovelling, dirt and deity—all mixed up in that one compound of inspired clay!"

-George Gordon Noel Byron

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