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fastidious - 6 dictionary results

fas⋅tid⋅i⋅ous

[fa-stid-ee-uhs, fuh-]
–adjective
1. excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please: a fastidious eater.
2. requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < L fastīdiōsus squeamish, equiv. to fastīdi(um) lack of appetite, disgust, perh. by syncope of *fastutīdium (fastu-, comb. form of fastus pride, conceit + -tīdium comb. form of taedium tedium ) + -ōsus -ous


fas⋅tid⋅i⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
fas⋅tid⋅i⋅ous⋅ness, noun


1. See particular.
fas·tid·i·ous   (fā-stĭd'ē-əs, fə-)   
adj.  
  1. Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.
  2. Difficult to please; exacting.
  3. Excessively scrupulous or sensitive, especially in matters of taste or propriety. See Synonyms at meticulous.
  4. Microbiology Having complicated nutritional requirements.

[Middle English, squeamish, particular, haughty, from Old French fastidieux, from Latin fastīdiōsus, from fastīdium, squeamishness, haughtiness, probably from fastus, disdain.]
fas·tid'i·ous·ly adv., fas·tid'i·ous·ness n.

Fastidious

Fas*tid"i*ous\, a. [L. fastidiosus disdainful, fr. fastidium loathing, aversion, perh. fr. fastus arrogance (of uncertain origin) + taedium loathing. Cf. Tedious, Fash.] Difficult to please; delicate to a fault; suited with difficulty; squeamish; as, a fastidious mind or ear; a fastidious appetite.

Proud youth ! fastidious of the lower world. --Young.

Syn: Squeamish; critical; overnice; difficult; punctilious.

Usage: Fastidious, Squeamish. We call a person fastidious when his taste or feelings are offended by trifling defects or errors; we call him squeamish when he is excessively nice or critical on minor points, and also when he is overscrupulous as to questions of duty. "Whoever examines his own imperfections will cease to be fastidious; whoever restrains his caprice and scrupulosity will cease to be squeamish." --Crabb. -- Fas*tid"i*ous*ly, adv. -- Fas*tid"i*ous*ness, n.
Language Translation for : fastidious
Spanish: quisquilloso,
German: wählerisch,
Japanese: 気むずかしい

fastidious 
c.1440, "full of pride," from L. fastidiosus "disdainful, squeamish, exacting," from fastidium "loathing," most likely from *fastu-taidiom, a compound of fastus "contempt, arrogance" and tædium "aversion, disgust." Early use in Eng. was in both passive and active senses. Meaning "squeamish, over-nice" emerged in Eng. 1612.

Main Entry: fas·tid·i·ous
Pronunciation: fa-'stid-E-&s, f&-
Function: adjective
: having complex nutritional requirements<fastidious microorganisms> —used of bacteria that grow only in specially fortified artificial culture media

fastidious fas·tid·i·ous (fā-stĭd'ē-əs, fə-)
adj.

  1. Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.
  2. Difficult to please; exacting.
  3. Having complex nutritional requirements. Used of microorganisms.

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