Celt

See also: celt, CELT, célt, and ceļt

English

Etymology

From Latin Celtae (singular Celta) from Ancient Greek Κελτοί (Keltoí).

English Celts is from the 17th century. Until the mid 19th century, /sɛlt/ is the only recorded pronunciation. A consciously archaizing pronunciation /kɛlt/ was advocated during Irish and Welsh nationalism beginning in the 1850s.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛlt/, /sɛlt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Rhymes: -ɛlt

Noun

Celt (plural Celts)

1. (historical) A member of one of the ancient peoples of Western Europe called Celtae by the Romans.

   Synonym: (plural) Keltoi

2. A member of any of the (modern, Celtic) peoples who speak Celtic languages.

   Coordinate term: Gael

Related terms

• Celtic

Translations

ancient

• Arabic: قِلْطِيّ (qilṭiyy)
• Armenian: կելտ (kelt)
• Breton: kelt m
• Catalan: celta (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凱爾特人／凯尔特人 (zh) (Kǎi'ěrtèrén), 塞爾特人／塞尔特人 (Sài'ěrtèrén)

• Cornish: Kelt m, Keltes f
• Czech: Kelt (cs) m
• Danish: kelter c
• Dutch: Kelt (nl) m
• Faroese: kelti m
• Finnish: keltti
• French: Celte (fr) m
• Galician: celta (gl) m
• German: Kelte (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: Κελτός m (Keltós)

• Hebrew: קלטי m (qelti), קלטית f (qeltit)
• Hungarian: kelta (hu)
• Irish: Ceilteach m
• Italian: celta (it) m or f
• Japanese: ケルト人 (kerutojin)
• Kazakh: кельт (kelt)
• Korean: 켈트족(族) (ko) (kelteujok), 셀트족(族) (selteujok)
• Latvian: ķelts m, ķeltiete f
• Manx: Celtiagh m
• Maori: Kereti
• Polish: Celt (pl) m
• Portuguese: celta (pt) m or f
• Romanian: celți pl
• Russian: кельт (ru) m (kelʹt)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ceilteach m
• Serbo-Croatian: Kȅlt m, Kȅltkinja f
• Slovak: Kelt m
• Slovene: Kelt (sl) m, Keltinja f
• Spanish: celta (es) m
• Swedish: kelt (sv) c
• Tamil: கெல்ட்டியர் (kelṭṭiyar)
• Turkish: Kelt (tr)
• Welsh: Celt m, Celtiad m

modern

• Breton: kelt m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凱爾特人／凯尔特人 (zh) (Kǎi'ěrtèrén), 塞爾特人／塞尔特人 (Sài'ěrtèrén)

• Cornish: Kelt m, Keltes f
• Danish: kelter c
• Finnish: keltti
• Irish: Ceilteach m
• Manx: Celtiagh m
• Maori: Kereti
• Scottish Gaelic: Ceilteach m
• Swedish: kelt (sv) c
• Welsh: Celt m, Celtiad m

Adjective

Celt (comparative more Celt, superlative most Celt)

1. Synonym of Celtic.
   • 1972 spring–summer, John Tripp, “Anglo-Welsh Testimony”, in Transatlantic Review, number 42/43, →ISSN, page 89:

     In the thick of parties we become very Celt, disgusting the dull.

   • 2006, Stephanie Laurens, What Price Love?, London: Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group, published 2011, →ISBN, page 5:

     Like Pris, he took after their mother, more Celt than English, wild and dramatic and mercurially alive.

   • 2009, M. K. Hume, King Arthur: Dragon’s Child, London: Headline Review, →ISBN, page 340:

     But his bitch queen was Saxon to the bone and her legacy showed in the sons that Vortigern bred off her. Katigern Minor might be young, but he has become what his grandfather never was – more Saxon than Celt.

   • 2010, Delle Jacobs, Loki’s Daughters, Las Vegas, Nev.: Montlake Romance, →ISBN, page 159:

     She answered with a smile and a nod. The woman was more Celt than Arienh had thought, and had clearly been deprived of women too long.

Anagrams

• -lect, lect, lect.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡sɛlt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlt
• Syllabification: Celt

Noun

Celt m pers (female equivalent Celtyjka)

1. Celt

Declension

Declension of Celt

	singular	plural
nominative	Celt	Celtowie
genitive	Celta	Celtów
dative	Celtowi	Celtom
accusative	Celta	Celtów
instrumental	Celtem	Celtami
locative	Celcie	Celtach
vocative	Celcie	Celtowie

Further reading

• Celt in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• Celt in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Welsh

Alternative forms

• Celtiad

Etymology

From Latin Celta.

Noun

Celt m (plural Celtiaid, feminine Celtes)

1. Celt (member of ancient people)
2. Celt (person of Celtic ancestry)

Related terms

• Celtaidd (“Celtic”, adjective)
• Celteg f (“Celtic”)
• Celtig (“Celtic”, adjective)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
Celt	Gelt	Nghelt	Chelt
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “Celt”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies