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Dainty vs Teeny - What's the difference?

dainty | teeny |

As adjectives the difference between dainty and teeny

is that dainty is (obsolete) excellent; valuable, fine while teeny is (informal) very small; tiny or teeny can be (uk|dialect) fretful; peevish; cross.

As a noun dainty

is (obsolete) esteem, honour.

dainty

English

Noun

(dainties)
  • (obsolete) Esteem, honour.
  • A delicacy.
  • * 1719 , (Daniel Defoe), (Robinson Crusoe)
  • my case was deplorable enough, yet I had great cause for thankfulness that I was not driven to any extremities for food, but had rather plenty, even to dainties .
  • * (William Cowper)
  • [A table] furnished plenteously with bread, / And dainties , remnants of the last regale.
  • (Canada, Prairies and northwestern Ontario) A fancy cookie, pastry, or square served at a social event (usually plural).
  • (obsolete)
  • (Ben Jonson)

    Adjective

    (er)
  • (obsolete) Excellent; valuable, fine.
  • *, II.13:
  • Heliogabalus the most dissolute man of the world, amidst his most riotous sensualities, intended, whensoever occasion should force him to it, to have a daintie death.
  • Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
  • * Milton
  • Those dainty limbs which nature lent / For gentle usage and soft delicacy.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=However, with the dainty volume my quondam friend sprang into fame. At the same time he cast off the chrysalis of a commonplace existence.}}
  • Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • They were a fine and dainty people.
  • * Shakespeare
  • And let us not be dainty of leave taking, / But shift away.

    Synonyms

    * neat * petite

    References

    *

    teeny

    English

    Etymology 1

    From

    Adjective

    (er)
  • (informal) Very small; tiny.
  • Synonyms
    * (very small) *: (standard): minuscule, minute, tiny *: (informal): teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny-weeny, weeny, eeny

    Etymology 2

    . See (teen) grief.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (UK, dialect) fretful; peevish; cross
  • (Webster 1913)