Small and delicately built (6) Crossword Clue
Answer: PETITE (6 letters)
The answer to the crossword clue "Small and delicately built" with 6 letters is "PETITE".Petite describes something small and delicately built, often used to refer to a person, especially a woman, with a slender and delicate frame. The term is commonly associated with a graceful, compact stature, emphasizing elegance and smallness in size.
Why "Petite" Fits
The clue asks for a single word (6 letters) meaning "small and delicately built." The answer, PETITE, fits perfectly:
- Small and delicately built: Petite is the standard English adjective (borrowed from French) used to describe a woman or girl who is attractively small and finely structured—matching the clue’s definition exactly.
- Direct match: With six letters, petite fits the enumeration precisely.
- Precise meaning: The term emphasizes not only short stature but also elegance, slenderness, or a dainty physical frame.
Petite is a staple word in fashion, retail, and personal description:
Origin and usage:
- Borrowed directly from French, where it is the feminine form of “petit” meaning “small” or “little.”
- Now used in English worldwide, especially when discussing women’s clothing sizes, proportions, and body types.
Examples and context:
- “She is a petite woman, suited to clothes from the petite section.”
- “Models for petite lines are often under 5’4”.”
- “Her petite figure made her look graceful in even the simplest dress.”
In quick crosswords like “Small and delicately built (6),” clues for physical description use classic adjectives:
Definition: “Small and delicately built” is a textbook definition for petite—no synonyms combine both size and delicacy in so few letters.
Clue type: Direct descriptive adjective.
Solving approach:
- Six-letter adjectives for dainty size are rare; “dainty” (6) is less directly about stature, while “slight” (6) means slender but not necessarily short.
Crossword pattern: Adjectives for physical type—petite, robust, pudgy, lanky—are often used because they are evocative, specific, and grid-friendly.
