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adj. dain·ti·er, dain·ti·est 1. Delicately beautiful or charming and usually small: dainty slippers. 2. Delicious; tasty: a dainty dish. 3. Fastidious or finicky: "They chided [them] for being too dainty to eat army rations" (Stephen Berry). 4. Frail in constitution or health: "Such heroines have [been]replaced by the dainty young thing who faints away at the sight of a six-shooter" (Molly Gloss). n. pl. dain·ties Something delicious; a delicacy. [Middle English deinte, excellent, excellence, from Old French deintie, from Latin dignitās, from dignus, worthy; see dek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] dainti·ly adv. dainti·ness n. |
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