nicefyv.
/ˈnʌɪsᵻfʌɪ/, U.S. /ˈnaɪsəˌfaɪ/ rare.
transitive. To make dainty or delicate; to make respectable or decent.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > fastidiousness > be fastidious [verb (intransitive)]
nicefy1611
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Faire la sadinette To mince it, nicefie it, make it dainty, to be verie squeamish.
1997 Guardian 3 Apr. ii. 11/1 Some accused him of insufficiently nicifying (making fit for decent Late Georgian ears) some of his corrupt ancient texts.
1999 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 21 Aug. w5 Until the 1970s, when the public relations firms nicefied French kitchens, a cook's apprenticeship was a cross between a wrestling match..and the kind of Zen practice where the monk comes round and hits you with a stick.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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