DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
Dain·ty, a. [Compar. Daintier superl. Daintiest.]
1. Rare; valuable; costly. [Obs.]
Full many a deynté horse had he in stable. --Chaucer.
Note: ☞ Hence the proverb “dainty maketh dearth,” i. e., rarity makes a thing dear or precious.
2. Delicious to the palate; toothsome.
Dainty bits
Make rich the ribs. --Shak.
3. Nice; delicate; elegant, in form, manner, or breeding; well-formed; neat; tender.
Those dainty limbs which nature lent
For gentle usage and soft delicacy. --Milton.
I would be the girdle.
About her dainty, dainty waist. --Tennyson.
4. Requiring dainties. Hence: Overnice; hard to please; fastidious; squeamish; scrupulous; ceremonious.
Thew were a fine and dainty people. --Bacon.
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift away. --Shak.
To make dainty, to assume or affect delicacy or fastidiousness. [Obs.]
Ah ha, my mistresses! which of you all
Will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty,
She, I'll swear, hath corns. --Shak.
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dainty
adj 1: affectedly dainty or refined [syn: mincing, niminy-piminy,
prim, twee]
2: of delicate composition and artistry; "a dainty teacup"; "an
exquisite cameo" [syn: exquisite]
3: especially pleasing to the taste; "a dainty dish to set
before a kind"; "a tasty morsel" [syn: tasty]
4: excessively fastidious and easily disgusted; "too nice about
his food to take to camp cooking"; "so squeamish he would
only touch the toilet handle with his elbow" [syn: nice,
overnice, prissy, squeamish]
n : something considered choice to eat [syn: delicacy, goody,
kickshaw, treat]
[also: daintiest, daintier]