Meanings
comparative more delectable · superlative most delectable
- Highly pleasing; delightful, especially to any of the senses; delicious.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:delectable.
plural delectables
- Something that is delectable.
These include such delectables as cars and drivers, country club memberships and personal use of corporate aircraft.
2009 February 8, Gretchen Morgenson, “Bailout Needs Some Strings Attached to Limit Pay”, in New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveextremely pleasing to the sense of taste
adjectivecapable of arousing sexual desire
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latindelectare“to delight”
- Old Frenchdelectable
- Middle Frenchdélectable
- Middle Englishdelectable
- Englishdelectable
From Middle English delectable, from Middle French délectable, from Old French delectable, from Medieval Latin delectare (“to delight”). By surface analysis, delect + -able. Piecewise doublet of delightable.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan delectable, deliciós
- delectablepleasing to the taste; delicious
- delicióspleasing to the taste; delicious
Dutch lekker, smakelijk
- lekkerpleasing to the taste; delicious
- smakelijkpleasing to the taste; delicious
- verrukkelijkpleasing to the taste; delicious
- lekkernijsomething that is pleasing to the taste
Finnish herkullinen, maukas
- herkullinenpleasing to the taste; delicious
- maukaspleasing to the taste; delicious
French délicieux, savoureux
- délicieuxpleasing to the taste; delicious
- savoureuxpleasing to the taste; delicious
- délicesomething that is pleasing to the taste
German köstlich, lecker
- köstlichpleasing to the taste; delicious
- leckerpleasing to the taste; delicious
- Leckereisomething that is pleasing to the taste
- Köstlichkeitsomething that is pleasing to the taste
Māori waireka, hūnene
- wairekapleasing to the taste; delicious
- hūnenepleasing to the taste; delicious
- whakawaiwaipleasing to the taste; delicious
Norwegian Bokmål deilig, lekker
- deiligpleasing to the taste; delicious
- lekkerpleasing to the taste; delicious
- kosteligpleasing to the taste; delicious
Polish wyśmienity, smakowity
- wyśmienitypleasing to the taste; delicious
- smakowitypleasing to the taste; delicious
- delicjasomething that is pleasing to the taste
Portuguese delicioso, deleitoso
- deliciosopleasing to the taste; delicious
- deleitosopleasing to the taste; delicious
- deleitávelpleasing to the taste; delicious
- deleitesomething that is pleasing to the taste
Spanish delicioso, delectable
- deliciosopleasing to the taste; delicious
- delectablepleasing to the taste; delicious
- deleitablepleasing to the taste; delicious
- deliciasomething that is pleasing to the taste
Swedish läcker
- läckerpleasing to the taste; delicious
Cite this entry
delectable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delectable
“delectable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delectable. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “delectable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delectable.
Source: delectable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.