Emily Dickinson Lexicon

NICE, a. [Sax. nesc or hnesc; D. nesch, soft, tender; G. naschen, to eat dainties or sweetmeats; Dan. knæs, dainties.]

1. Properly, soft; whence, delicate; tender; dainty; sweet, or very pleasant to the taste; as, a nice bit; nice food.
2. Delicate; fine; applied to torture, composition or color; as, cloth of a nice texture; nice tints of color.
3. Accurate; exact; precise; as, nice proportions; nice symmetry; nice workmanship; nice rules.
4. Requiring scrupulous exactness; as, a nice point.
5. Perceiving the smallest difference; distinguishing accurately and minutely by perception; as, a person of nice taste; hence,
6. Perceiving accurately the smallest faults, errors or irregularities; distinguishing and judging with exactness; as, a nice judge of a subject; a nice discernment. Our author happy in a judge so nice. Pope.
7. Over scrupulous or exact, Curious, not knowing; not exact, but nice. Pope:
8. Delicate; scrupulously and minutely cautious. The letter was not nice, but full of charge Of dear import. Shak. Dear love, continue nice and chaste. Donne.
9. Fastidious; squeamish. And to taste / Think not I shall be nice.
10. Delicate; easily injured. How nice the reputation of the maid! Roscommon.
11. Refined; as, nice and subtle happiness. Milton.
12. Having lucky hits. [Not used.] Shak.
13. Weak; foolish; effeminate. [Obs.] Gower.
14. Trivial; unimportant. Shak. To make nice, to be scrupulous. Shak.