different between dainty vs squeamish

English

Etymology

From Middle English deynte, from Old French deintié, from Latin dignit?tem. Doublet of dignity.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?de?nti/
• Rhymes: -e?nti

Noun

dainty (plural dainties)

1. A delicacy (in taste).
   • 1791, William Cowper, The Odyssey of Homer
2. (obsolete) Esteem, honour.
3. (Canada, Prairies and northwestern Ontario) A fancy cookie, pastry, or square, typically homemade, served at a social event (usually plural).
4. (obsolete) An affectionate term of address.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

dainty (comparative daintier, superlative daintiest)

1. (obsolete) Excellent; valuable, fine.
2. Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
3. Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.
   • 1623, Francis Bacon, An Advertisement touching an Holy War

Synonyms

• neat
• petite

Derived terms

• daintily
• daintiness

Translations

References

• “dainty” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.

English

Alternative forms

• sweamish, swaimish (dialectal)
• squeimish, squemish, squeamous (obsolete)

Etymology

Unclear origin. One hypothesis states it is an alteration of earlier squeamous, substituting -ous with -ish, from Anglo-Norman escoymous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?skwi?m??/

Adjective

squeamish (comparative more squeamish, superlative most squeamish)

1. Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.

   He might have made a good doctor, had he not been so squeamish at the sight of blood.

2. Averse or reluctant.

Translations

External links

• Discussion of the unclear etymology of squeamish