English
delicious
Delicious comes from Middle English delicious, via Old French from Late Latin dēliciōsus, from Latin dēliciae ‘delights’, ultimately from dēliciō ‘to allure’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lakjō‘to draw, pull’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElaciō‘to lure, deceive’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēliciō‘to allure, entice’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēlicia‘pleasure’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēliciae‘delights’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēliciōsus‘delicate, delicious’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400delicious
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1749same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lakjō‘to draw, pull’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElaciō‘to lure, deceive’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēliciō‘to allure, entice’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēlicia‘pleasure’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēliciae‘delights’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdēliciōsus‘delicate, delicious’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400delicious
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1749same form
Earliest quotation: 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones: “Jones had not travelled far before he paid his…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘to give’
data, date, add, die, addition, rent, tradition, dose, donate, surrender, donor, treason, donation, vent, vendor, dow, render, additive, rendition, antidote, anecdote, condone, dowry, rendezvous, dowager, addendum, dative, endow, dower, perdition, dacha, dati, sconce, 39 more
through Late Latin laciō ‘to lure, deceive’
through Late Latin delicere ‘to allure, to entice’
Today it means
adj Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lakjō / delicious