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Origin and history of delicious

delicious(adj.)

c. 1300, "delightful to the senses, pleasing in the highest degree" (implied in deliciously), from Old French delicios (Modern French délicieux), from Late Latin deliciosus "delicious, delicate," from Latin delicia (plural deliciae) "a delight, allurement, charm," from delicere "to allure, entice," from de- "away" (see de-) + lacere "to lure, entice," which is of uncertain origin.

Especially, but not exclusively, of taste. Related: Deliciously. As a name of a type of apple, attested from 1903, first grown by Jesse Hiatt of Iowa, U.S.A. Colloquial shortening delish is attested from 1920.

delicious

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to delicious

babelicious(adj.)

1991, from babe in the "attractive young woman" sense + ending from delicious.

bootylicious(adj.)

by 1998, hip-hop slang, from booty + ending from delicious.

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delectable
c. 1400, "delightful to one of the senses, highly pleasing," from Old French delectable delitable and directly from Latin delectabilis "delightful," from delectare "to allure, delight, charm, please," frequentative of delicere "entice" (see delicious). The earlier form in English
delectation
mid-14c., delectacioun, "great pleasure, particularly of the senses" (but in Middle English also spiritual and intellectual), from Old French delectation "enjoyment" (12c.) and directly from Latin delectationem (nominative delectatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of
delicate
late 14c., of persons, "self-indulgent, loving ease;" also "sensitive, easily hurt, feeble;" of things, "delightful," from Latin delicatus "alluring, delightful, dainty," also "addicted to pleasure, luxurious, effeminate," in Medieval Latin "fine, slender;" related to deliciae "p
pleasant
late 14c., plesaunte (early 14c. as a surname), "pleasing or acceptable to God;" also "agreeable, desirable; delightful, delicious...
corn-dog
Be the first to serve this delicious new sandwich. No special ingredients needed....
grenade
Granato (Span.) a Pomegranate, an Apple filled with delicious grains ; there is also a warlike Engin that being filled with...
clover
To be in clover "live luxuriously" is 1710, "clover being extremely delicious and fattening to cattle" [Johnson]....
luscious
late 15c., according to The Middle English Compendium a variant of Middle English licius "delicious" (c. 1400), which is a shortening of delicious, with the variant form perhaps influenced by Old French luxure, lusure. But OED 2nd ed. and Century Dictionary are against all this a
peanut
1807; see pea + nut. Earlier, and still commonly in England, ground nut, ground pea (1769). The plant is native to South America; Portuguese traders took peanuts from Brazil and Peru to Africa by 1502 and it is known to have been cultivated in Chekiang Province in China by 1573,
denizen
early 15c., "a citizen, a dweller, an inhabitant," especially "legally established inhabitant of a city or borough, a citizen as distinguished from a non-resident native or a foreigner," from Anglo-French deinzein, denzein, (Old French deinzein) "one within" (the privileges of a

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