Dictionary
del•i•ca•cy
Pronunciation: (del'i-ku-sē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -cies.
1. fineness of texture, quality, etc.; softness; daintiness:
the delicacy of lace.
2. something delightful or pleasing, esp. a choice food considered with regard to its rarity, costliness, or the like:
Caviar is a great delicacy.
3. the quality of being easily broken or damaged; fragility.
4. the quality of requiring or involving great care or tact:
negotiations of great delicacy.
5. extreme sensitivity; precision of action or operation; minute accuracy:
the delicacy of a skillful surgeon's touch; a watch mechanism of unusual delicacy.
6. fineness of perception or feeling; sensitiveness:
the delicacy of the pianist's playing.
7. fineness of feeling with regard to what is fitting, proper, etc.:
Delicacy would not permit her to be rude.
8. sensitivity with regard to the feelings of others:
She criticized him with such delicacy that he was not offended.
9. bodily weakness; liability to sickness; frailty.
10. Ling.(esp. in systemic linguistics) the degree of minuteness pursued at a given stage of analysis in specifying distinctions in linguistic description.
11. Obs.sensuous indulgence; luxury.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
