delicious
[dih-lish-uhs]
adjective
highly pleasing to the senses, especially to taste or smell: a delicious dinner; a delicious aroma.
very pleasing; delightful: a delicious sense of humor.
noun
(initial capital letter) a red or yellow variety of apple, cultivated in the U.S.
RELATED CONTENT
Who is the “Granny Smith” of Granny Smith apples? Plus, learn the truth about Fuji applesMany parts of the U.S. are enjoying the peak of apple season right now. And lucky for logophiles, the names of some of the most popular varieties are almost as interesting as the fruit is tasty. There are more than 7, 500 cultivars of apples. Here are the stories behind five of the most popular: • It’s understandable if you guess that the Golden Delicious was named for the …
RELATED WORDS
enjoyable, yummy, tempting, enticing, delectable, pleasant, heavenly, delightful, luscious, tasty, rich, appetizing, savory, distinctive, piquant, exquisite, spicy, sweet, good, lush
Nearby words
- delicacy,
- delicate,
- delicately,
- delicatessen,
- delicia,
- deliciously,
- deliciousness,
- delict,
- deligate,
- deligation
Origin of delicious
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin dēliciōsus, equivalent to Latin dēliciae delight + -ōsus -ous
SYNONYMS FOR delicious
Synonym study
1. Delicious, luscious refer to that which is especially agreeable to the senses. That which is delicious is highly agreeable to the taste or sometimes to the smell: a delicious meal. Luscious implies such a luxuriant fullness or ripeness as to make an object rich: a luscious banana; a luscious beauty; luscious music.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for delicious
delicious
adjective
Word Origin for delicious
C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēliciōsus, from Latin dēliciae delights, charms, from dēlicere to entice; see delight
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
delicious
c.1300 (implied in deliciously), from Old French delicios (Modern French délicieux), from Late Latin deliciosus "delicious, delicate," from Latin delicia (plural deliciae) "a delight, allurement, charm," from delicere "to allure, entice," from de- "away" (see de-) + lacere "lure, deceive" (related to laqueus "noose, snare;" see lace). As a name of a type of apple, attested from 1903, first grown by Jesse Hiatt of Iowa, U.S.A. Colloquial shortening delish is attested from 1920.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper