delicates
SayDEL-i-kitsUS/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kɪts/AUS/ˈdel.ɪ.kɪts/UKDEL-i-kuhts/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kəts/
- 1Garments or fabric items that are fragile and need gentle handling during laundering, especially underwear or lingerie.
The care label warned that delicates should never go through a hot cycle.
He separated the delicates from the towels before starting the wash.
Note
Laundry thinks of these garments as a group, so the word behaves as a plural-only noun. Delicates are sorted, washed and kept apart, and they take a plural verb: the delicates go in cold. You separate the delicates from the towels, but you rarely speak of one delicate. A single item is more naturally called a delicate garment.
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