dainty means elegant; delicately small and pretty.
dainty is pronounced /ˈdeɪnti/.
Why “dainty” is a great word
Daintiness is a quality of being delicately small and pretty, or of being fastidious, especially about food; also, a choice delicacy or a small, fancy pastry. From Middle English 'deynte' (as a noun), from Old French 'deintié' (delight, pleasure), from Latin 'dignitātem' (worthiness, dignity), its sense evolved from 'worthiness' to 'something valuable or excellent' to 'a choice food' and finally to 'delicate'. Unlike 'delicate', which focuses on structural fragility, or 'fastidious', which implies a general, exacting fussiness, 'dainty' emphasizes a pleasing, elegant smallness and a refined, sometimes finical, selectivity. It is the scalloped edge of a teacup saucer, the precise arrangement of watercress on a sandwich, or the way a certain person picks at a slice of cake—a miniature aesthetic of pleasure that quietly questions whether true appreciation is merely a polite form of denial.
Etymology
From Middle English deynte (as noun), from Old French deintié, from Latin dignitātem. Doublet of dignity.
adj
- Elegant; delicately small and pretty.“As for thoſe People of the Eaſt, (Goa, Calecute, Malaca,) they vvere a Fine, and Dainty People; Frugall, and yet Elegant, though not Militar.”
- Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.“UUho when he ſhal embrace you in his arms
UUil tell how many thouſand men he ſlew.
And when you looke for amorous diſcourſe,
Will rattle foorth his facts of war and blood:
Too harſh a ſubiect for your daintie eares.”
- Excellent; valuable, fine.“Heliogabalus the most dissolute man of the world, amidst his most riotous sensualities, intended, whensoever occasion should force him to it, to have a daintie death.”
noun
- A delicacy (choice or pleasing food).“And she receyued hym with grete Ioye and made hym to sytte doune by her and soo was he sette to soupe with flesshe and many deyntees
And she received him with great joy, and made him to sit down by her, and so was he set to sup with flesh and many dainties.”
- A fancy cookie, pastry, or square, frequently homemade, served at a social event.
- Esteem, honour.
- An affectionate term of address.“I am not eager at forbidden dainties”
Words closest in meaning
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