From Middle English delicious, from Anglo-Norman delicious, from Old French delicious, delicieux, from Late Latin dēliciōsus (“delicate, delicious”), from dēliciae (“delights”), plural of dēlicia (“pleasure”), from delicere (“to allure, to entice”), from de- (“away”) + laciō (“to lure, deceive”), from Proto-Italic *lakjō (“to draw, pull”), of unknown ultimate origin. Displaced native Old English ārlīċ (“delicious”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, /də-/, /di-/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɪʃəs
• Hyphenation: de‧li‧cious

delicious (comparative more delicious, superlative most delicious)

1. Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:delicious

   • 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 120:

     It was quite dark by the time Tarzan had gorged himself. Ah, but it had been delicious! Never had he quite accustomed himself to the ruined flesh that civilized men had served him, and in the bottom of his savage heart there had constantly been the craving for the warm meat of the fresh kill, and the rich, red blood.

2. (colloquial, figurative) Pleasing to a person's taste; pleasing to the eyes or mind.

   The irony is delicious!

   • 1986, Patrick Lichfield, Courvoisier's Book of the Best, page 230:

     But the houses are so delicious and the way they're townscaped on to hilly bits is absolutely wonderful.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar,[…], →OCLC:

     Jones had not travelled far before he paid his compliments to that beautiful planet, and, turning to his companion, asked him if he had ever beheld so delicious an evening?

3. (slang) Having tremendous sex appeal.

• “delicious”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “delicious”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.
• “delicious”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “delicious”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “delicious, adj. & n.”, in OED Online 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “delicious”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• leucosiid, lousicide

From Late Latin dēliciōsus, see above.

delicious m (oblique and nominative feminine singular deliciouse)

1. delicious; tasty
2. noble; courtly; courteous

• French: délicieux
• → English: delicious