# delicacy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈdɛlɪkəsi/ · frequency rank #22,945

## Definitions
1. The quality of being delicate.
2. Something appealing, usually a pleasing food, especially a choice dish of a certain culture suggesting rarity and refinement.
3. Fineness or elegance of construction or appearance.
4. Frailty of health or fitness.
5. Refinement in taste or discrimination.
6. Tact and propriety; the need for such tact.

## Etymology
From Middle English delicacie, from Middle English delicat, from Latin delicatus. Equivalent to delicate + -cy.

## Easily confused with
- **delicate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/delicacy-vs-delicate)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ddelicacy`, `deilcacy`, `delciacy`, `deliaccy`, `delicaccy`, `delicacyy`, `delicayc`, `deliccacy`, `deliccay`, `dellicacy`, `dleicacy`, `edlicacy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/delicacy