Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Delicate \Del"i*cate\, a. [L. delicatus pleasing the senses,
   voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F.
   d['e]licat. See {Delight}.]
   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.'' --Shak.

   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.

Delicate \Del"i*cate\, n.
   1. A choice dainty; a delicacy. [R.]

            With abstinence all delicates he sees. --Dryden.

Source : WordNet®

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"