délicat

Forms

délicat (feminine délicate, masculine plural délicats, feminine plural délicates)^[1] Middle French deliquat (1454).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dēlicātus (“attractive, delightful, elegant, hard to please”).^[4][5][2][3] The DHLF calls the Latin word of doubtful origin and influenced by dēliciae (“delights”); the Grand Robert derives it from that noun.^[4][2] Littré instead took it from Latin dēliquāre (“to make liquid, melt”), which the later dictionaries do not follow.^[6]

The borrowing replaced the inherited Old French delgié, deugié, dougié (“fine, slender, weak”), which lasted until the 16th century and survives in western dialects; compare Old Occitan delgat and Spanish delgado.^[5][4][7] The Latin word was also adapted in the 13th century as délié, kept because it was taken as the past participle of délier.^[5] Middle French also had delicatif, said especially of food.^[4][6]

Compare Catalan delicat, Spanish delicado and Italian delicato.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded about 1454, in a document of the Archives du Nord, of people of frail constitution (gens deliquatz et norris deliquatement).^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

In 1492 it was said of food fine enough to satisfy a demanding taste (viande bien délicate, Guillaume Tardif).^[3][4] During the 16th century many senses, often taken from Latin, followed: graceful or elegant (before 1539), finely made (before 1544, Marot's ouvrages delicats), sensitive to the slightest impressions (1549, Du Bellay), demanding (1592, Montaigne) and even touchy, a usage common in the 17th century and now archaic.^[3][4] Montaigne also applied it to something hard to judge or carry out because of its subtlety.^[3][4][6] The whole range turns on fineness and subtlety.^[4]

Its derivatives include délicatement (before 1454) and délicatesse (1548), probably modelled on Italian delicatezza.^[4][5]

Timeline

• c. 1454 – Deliquat is used of people of frail constitution.^[3][2]
• 1492 – Guillaume Tardif uses it of delicate food.^[3]
• before 1539 – It means graceful, elegant.^[3]
• before 1544 – Marot uses it of finely made works.^[3]
• 1549 – Du Bellay uses it of sensitivity to impressions.^[3]
• before 1592 – Montaigne uses it of something subtle and hard to judge.^[3]
• 1786 – indélicat is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (literary) Pleasing by its refinement or fineness: un parfum délicat, un mets délicat.^[8][7]
2. Finely made or executed: une dentelle délicate.^[8][7]
3. Fragile, sensitive to outside influences: une peau délicate.^[8]
4. Of a person: of delicate health, easily ill.^[8]
5. Hard to handle or judge because of its subtlety: une situation délicate.^[8][1]
6. Showing tact or moral scruple.^[8][1]
7. Hard to please, fussy.^[8][7]

Word family

• délicatement
• délicatesse
• indélicat

Related words

• délice
• délicieux
• délié
• Latin dēlicātus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert