delicatissima

Delicatissima is the feminine form of the Latin superlative adjective delicatissimus, meaning "most delicate" or "most refined." In biological nomenclature, delicatissima is used as an epithet in the scientific names of organisms to convey a perceived delicacy or fine appearance, rather than to designate a single taxon.

As a species epithet, delicatissima must agree in gender with the genus name; masculine forms use delicatissimus, neuter delicatissimum. The epithet appears in both botanical and zoological names, with the governing codes being the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) and the International Code of Zoological N nomenclature (ICZN).

Because it is an epithet, there is no single "Delicatissima" taxon; multiple species across different genera may bear the epithet. The use of delicatissima is descriptive and common in historical and contemporary taxonomic descriptions across diverse groups, rather than indicating any shared lineage among those species.

In practice, the form of the epithet will vary to match the gender of the genus name. Related Latin forms include delicatissima, delicatissimus, and delicatissimum, reflecting gender and number agreement.