Dainty, adj. 1) pleasing to the palate, delicious: “a table full of welcome makes scarce one d. dish,” Err. III, 1, 23. LLL I, 1, 26. Troil. V, 8, 20. “as at English feasts, so I regreet the --iest last,” R2 I, 3, 68. “worse than gall the --iest that they taste,” H6B III, 2, 322.
2) delicate, enticing, lovely: “that's my d. Ariel,” Tp. V, 95. “O, a most d. man! to see him walk before a lady and to bear her fan,” LLL IV, 1, 146. “her feet were much too d. for such tread,” IV, 3, 279. “O d. duck, O dear!” Mids. V, 286 and Wint. IV, 4, 324. basins and ewers to lave her d. hands, 2, 350. “she is a d. one,” H8 I, 4, 94. “and gives memorial d. kisses to it,” Troil. V, 2, 80. “single you thither then this d. doe,” Tit. II, 1, 117. II, 2, 26. “your laboursome and d. trims,” Cymb. III, 4, 167.
3) nice, fastidious: “Love's tongue proves d. Bacchus gross in taste,” LLL IV, 3, 339. “no shape but his can please your d. eye,” H6A V, 3, 38. “the hand of little employment hath the --ier sense,” Hml. V, 1, 78. To make d. == to give one's self airs, to look prim: “she that makes d., she, I'll swear, hath corns,” Rom. I, 5, 21 (cf. Nice).
4) minute: “the king is weary of d. and such picking grievances,” H4B IV, 1, 198.
5) Followed by of, == over-solicitous about, taking too much care of: “grows d. of his worth,” Troil. I, 3, 145.*“let us not be d. of leave-taking, but shift away,” Mcb. II, 3, 150.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
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