del·i·cate /ˈdɛlɪkət/
 (a.)精巧的,精緻的;病弱的,脆弱的;微妙的,棘手的;靈敏的,精密的


 Del·i·cate a.
 1. Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring. [R.]
    Dives, for his delicate life, to the devil went.   --Piers Plowman.
    Haarlem is a very delicate town.   --Evelyn.
 2. Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor.
 3. Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, “a delicate creature.”
 4. Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton.
 5. Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk.
 6. Soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion.
 7. Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue.
 8. Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness.
 9. Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health.
    A delicate and tender prince.   --Shak.
 10. Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or question.
    There are some things too delicate and too sacred to be handled rudely without injury to truth.   --F. W. Robertson.
 11. Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
 12. Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music.
 13. Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer.


 Del·i·cate, n.
 1. A choice dainty; a delicacy. [R.]
    With abstinence all delicates he sees.   --Dryden.
 2. A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.
    All the vessels, then, which our delicates have, -- those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbors, -- are only of the Corinth metal.   --Holland.

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 delicate
      adj 1: exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to
             injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china";
             "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a
             butterfly" [ant: rugged]
      2: marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a
         surgeon's delicate touch"
      3: easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate
         to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old
         bones"; "a frail craft" [syn: fragile, frail]
      4: easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn: soft]
      5: developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire
         touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human
         pretense" [syn: finespun]
      6: difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate
         negotiations with the big powers"; "hesitates to be
         explicit on so ticklish a matter" [syn: ticklish]
      7: of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute
         differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable
         with even the most delicate instruments"