■ adjective
1》 giving pleasure or satisfaction; agreeable.
↘good-natured; kind.
2》 fine or subtle: a ~ distinction.
↘requiring careful attention.
3》 archaic fastidious.
Phrases
~ and —— satisfactory in terms of the quality described.
~ one informal expressing approval.
Derivatives
~ish adjective
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Word History
The word ~ entered Middle English in the sense 'stupid', from Latin nescius , meaning 'ignorant'. It developed a range of senses, from 'wanton and dissolute' to 'strange or rare' and 'coy or reserved'. It was first used with a positive connotation in the sense 'fine or subtle' in the 16th century, and the current main meanings, senses 1 and 2, are recorded from the late 18th century.