Celtic

[ kel-tik, sel- ]

noun
  1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, including especially Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton, which survive now in Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, Wales, and Brittany. Abbreviations: Celt, Celt.

adjective
  1. of the Celts or their languages.

Origin of Celtic

1
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin Celticus, equivalent to Celt(ae) “the Celts” + -icus adjective suffix; see origin at Celt, -ic (def. 1)
  • Also Kelt·ic [kel-tik] /ˈkɛl tɪk/ .

Other words from Celtic

  • Celt·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • non-Celt·ic, adjective
  • pre-Celt·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Celtic

Celtic

Keltic

/ (ˈkɛltɪk, ˈsɛl-) /


noun
  1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages that includes Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton, still spoken in parts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Brittany. Modern Celtic is divided into the Brythonic (southern) and Goidelic (northern) groups

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Celts or the Celtic languages

Derived forms of Celtic

  • Celtically or Keltically, adverb
  • Celticism (ˈkɛltɪˌsɪzəm, ˈsɛl-) or Kelticism, noun
  • Celticist, Celtist, Kelticist or Keltist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012