Definitions for dainty
ˈdeɪn tidain·ty

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. dainty, delicacy, goody, kickshaw, treatadjective

   something considered choice to eat

2. dainty, mincing, niminy-piminy, prim, tweeadjective

   affectedly dainty or refined

3. dainty, exquisiteadjective

   delicately beautiful

   "a dainty teacup"; "an exquisite cameo"

4. daintyadjective

   especially pleasing to the taste

   "a dainty dish to set before a kind";

5. dainty, nice, overnice, prissy, squeamishadjective

   excessively fastidious and easily disgusted

   "too nice about his food to take to camp cooking"; "so squeamish he would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. daintynoun

   Esteem, honour.

2. daintynoun

   A delicacy.

3. daintynoun

   Fancy cookies, pastries, or squares served at a social event (usually plural).

4. daintyadjective

   Excellent; valuable, fine.

5. daintyadjective

   Delicately small and pretty.

6. daintyadjective

   Fastidious and fussy when eating.

7. Etymology: From deintié, from dignitatem.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. DAINTYadjective

   Etymology: derived by Stephen Skinner from dain, an old French word for delicate; which yet I cannot find in dictionaries.

   1. Pleasing to the palate; of exquisite taste; delicious.

   They are all over watery; whereas an higher concoction is required for sweetness, or pleasure of taste, and therefore all your dainty plumbs are a little dry. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

   2. Delicate; of acute sensibility; nice; squeamish; soft; luxurious; tender.

   This is the slowest, yet the daintiest sense;
   For ev’n the ears of such as have no skill,
   Perceive a discord, and conceive offence;
   And knowing not what’s good, yet find the ill. Davies.

   They were a fine and dainty people; frugal and yet elegant, though not military. Francis Bacon, Holy War.

   3. Scrupulous; ceremonious.

   Which of you all
   Will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty,
   I’ll swear hath corns. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

   Therefore to horse;
   And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
   But shift away. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   4. Elegant; tenderly languishingly, or effeminately beautiful.

   My house, within the city,
   Is richly furnished with plate and gold,
   Basons and ewers to lave her dainty hands. William Shakespeare.

   Why should ye be so cruel to yourself,
   And to those dainty limbs, which nature lent
   For gentle usage, and soft delicacy? John Milton.

   5. Nice; affectedly fine: in contempt.

   Your dainty speakers have the curse,
   To plead bad causes down to worse. Matthew Prior.

2. Daintynoun

   1. Something nice or delicate; a delicacy; something of exquisite taste.

   Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful meat. Prov. xxiii. 3.

   A worm breedeth in meal, of the shape of a large white maggot, which is given as a great dainty to nightingales. Francis Bacon.

   She then produc’d her dairy store,
   And unbought dainties of the poor. Dryden.

   The shepherd swains, with sure abundance blest,
   In the fat flock, and rural dainties, feast. Alexander Pope, Odyssey.

   2. A word of fondness formerly in use.

   Why, that’s my dainty; I shall miss thee:
   But yet thou shalt have freedom. William Shakespeare, Tempest.

   There is a fortune coming
   Towards you, dainty, that will take thee thus,
   And set thee aloft. Ben Jonson, Catiline.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Daintynoun

   value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything

2. Daintynoun

   that which is delicious or delicate; a delicacy

3. Daintynoun

   a term of fondness

4. Dainty

   rare; valuable; costly

5. Dainty

   delicious to the palate; toothsome

6. Dainty

   nice; delicate; elegant, in form, manner, or breeding; well-formed; neat; tender

7. Dainty

   requiring dainties. Hence: Overnice; hard to please; fastidious; squeamish; scrupulous; ceremonious

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Dainty

   dān′ti, adj. pleasant to the palate: delicate: fastidious: (Spens.) elegant.—n. that which is dainty, a delicacy.—adj. Daint (Spens.).—adv. Dain′tily.—n. Dain′tiness. [M. E. deintee, anything worthy or costly. O. Fr. daintié, worthiness—L. dignitat-em—dignus, worthy.]

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. DAINTY

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dainty is ranked #57781 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Dainty surname appeared 352 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Dainty.
   
   84.3% or 297 total occurrences were White.
   8.8% or 31 total occurrences were Black.
   2.2% or 8 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.9% or 7 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

How to pronounce dainty?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say dainty in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of dainty in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of dainty in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of dainty in a Sentence

1. Luigi Barzini:

   They eat the dainty food of gamous chefs with the same pleasure with which they devour gross peasant dishes, mostly composed of garlic and tomatoes, or fisherman's octopus and shrimps, fried in heavily scented olive oil on a little deserted beach.

Popularity rank by frequency of use