Where does “indelicate” come from?
Indelicate comes from Middle English, combining the prefix in- (from Latin in-, meaning "not") with delicat (from Latin delicia, meaning "pleasure" or "delight"), ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European oyd-.
indelicate (English): Improper or immodest; Coarse or tasteless;...
Definitions
- Improper or immodest; Coarse or tasteless;...
Ancestry of “indelicate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | delicate | Easily damaged or requiring careful handling;... |
| 2 | Middle English | delicat | delicate |
| 3 | Latin | delicatus | alluring, charming, delightful; voluptuous; soft,... |
| 4 | Latin | dēliciae | delight, pleasure |
| 5 | Latin | dēliciō | — |
| 6 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 7 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 8 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 9 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |