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Webster 1913 Edition

Delicious

De-li′cious

,
Adj.
[OF.
delicieus
, F.
délicieux
, L.
deliciosus
, fr.
deliciae
delight, fr.
delicere
to allure. See
Delight
.]
1.
Affording exquisite pleasure; delightful; most sweet or grateful to the senses, especially to the taste; charming.
Some
delicious
landscape.
Coleridge.
One draught of spring’s
delicious
air.
Keble.
Were not his words
delicious
?
Tennyson.
2.
Addicted to pleasure; seeking enjoyment; luxurious; effeminate.
[Obs.]
Syn. –
Delicious
,
Delightful
.
Delicious refers to the pleasure derived from certain of the senses, particularly the taste and smell; as,
delicious
food; a delicious fragrance. Delightful may also refer to most of the senses (as, delightful music; a delightful prospect; delightful sensations), but has a higher application to matters of taste, feeling, and sentiment; as, a
delightful
abode, conversation, employment; delightful scenes, etc.
Like the rich fruit he sings,
delicious
in decay.
Smith.
No spring, nor summer, on the mountain seen,
Smiles with gay fruits or with
delightful
green.
Addison.

Webster 1828 Edition

Delicious

DELICIOUS

, a.
1.
Highly pleasing to the taste; most sweet or grateful to the senses; affording exquisite pleasure; as a delicious viand; delicious fruit or wine.
2.
Most pleasing to the mind; very grateful; yielding exquisite delight; as, this poem affords a delicious entertainment.

Definition 2024

delicious

delicious

English

Adjective

delicious ‎(comparative more delicious, superlative most delicious)

  1. Pleasing to taste; tasty.
  2. (colloquial) Metaphorically pleasing to taste; pleasing to the eyes or mind.
  3. (slang) Having tremendous sex appeal.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:delicious

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Old French

Etymology

Latin, see above.

Adjective

delicious m ‎(oblique and nominative feminine singular deliciouse)

  1. delicious; tasty
  2. noble; courtly; courteous

Declension

Descendants

Etymology

From Middle English delicious, from Anglo-Norman delicious, from Old French delicious, delicieux, from Late Latin dēliciōsus ‎(“delicate, delicious”), from dēliciae ‎(“delights”), plural of dēlicia ‎(“pleasure”), from deliciō ‎(“I allure, I entice”), from de- ‎(“away”) + laciō ‎(“I lure, I deceive”). Displaced native Middle English este ‎(“delicious, favorable”) (from Old English ēste ‎(“delicious, dainty, luxurious, delicate”)), Middle English wunli, wunlic ‎(“delicious, joyous”) (from Old English wynlīċ ‎(“pleasant, beatiful, joyful”)), Old English ēstelīc ‎(“delicious, delicate, dainty”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈlɪʃəs/
  • (US) IPA(key): /dəˈlɪʃəs/, /diˈlɪʃəs/
  • Rhymes: -ɪʃəs

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