delicatesse

Delicatesse is a term most often encountered as a variant of the French word délicatesse, meaning delicacy or finesse. In French, délicatesse denotes the quality of being refined, tactful, or delicate in handling people or circumstances, as well as the subtlety or refinement of taste in food.

In English, the form delicatesse is uncommon and typically appears only in literary or stylistic contexts, or as a misspelling of délicatesse. The standard English equivalents are delicacy (the quality of being delicate, or a refined food item) and delicateness (the state of being delicate or sensitive). The word’s French origin is reflected in English through borrowed phrases related to refinement and tact.

Etymology and related terms: délicatesse comes from the French adjective délicat, with likely influence from Latin delicatus meaning pleasing or refined. In English, related terms include delicacy, delicateness, and, in the culinary sense, delicatessen, which derives from the German Delikatessen meaning delicacies and is not a direct translation of délicatesse.

Usage notes: In culinary contexts, English speakers use delicacy to describe rare or refined foods or the subtlety of flavor. In sociocultural discourse, délicatesse conveys tact, courtesy, and refined manners. The unaccented English variant delicatesse is typically avoided in formal writing, where délicatesse or the direct English equivalents are preferred.

See also: delicacy, delicateness, délicatesse, delicatessen, finesse.