celtic

IPA/ˈkeltɪk/
KK[sˈɛltɪk]IPA/ˈkeltɪk/

celtic — adjective

  • celticpositive
  • more celticcomparative
  • most celticsuperlative

1. relating to the ancient Celts or to the modern peoples, languages, and cultural

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to the ancient Celts or to the modern peoples, languages, and cultural traditions that come from them, such as those of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany

Example

Priya learned to play several traditional Celtic tunes on her violin for the festival.

collocation: Celtic tunes / Celtic music

The museum's new exhibit explores the history of Celtic art across Europe.

collocation: Celtic art

Common collocations
  • Celtic culture
  • Celtic music
  • Celtic tradition
  • Celtic art
  • Celtic language
  • Celtic history
  • Celtic knot
  • Celtic cross
  • Celtic mythology
Synonyms
  • gaelic

    narrower — Gaelic refers only to the Goidelic branch (Irish, Scots Gaelic, Manx), while Celtic covers all branches including Brythonic (Welsh, Breton, Cornish)

Usage Note

The word is typically capitalised, as it derives from a proper noun (the Celts).

Common Mistakes

She bought a celtic music CD' (lowercase).
She bought a Celtic music CD.
Celtic is always capitalised because it refers to a specific people and culture.

celtic — noun

Word family

  • Celt
    nounB2
  • Celticism
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Celtic is the broadest term, covering two main branches: Goidelic (Irish, Scots Gaelic, Manx) and Brythonic (Welsh, Breton, Cornish). Gaelic specifically refers only to the Goidelic branch — people often say 'Gaelic music' when they mean Irish or Scottish traditional music, but this is narrower than Celtic. Brythonic is a technical term for the British branch of Celtic languages (Welsh, Breton, Cornish) and is rarely used outside linguistics. Gaulish refers to the extinct Celtic language once spoken in ancient Gaul (modern France) before Latin replaced it. So if you are describing a shared tradition across Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany, use Celtic. If you are talking only about Irish or Scottish heritage, Gaelic may fit better, but remember it leaves out the Welsh and Breton connections.

celtic ↗gaelic ↗brythonicgaulish

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Celtic Tiger
  • Celtic fringe

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'Celtae' (plural), which was borrowed from Greek 'Keltoi' — the name ancient Greek writers used for the peoples living in central and western Europe. The word entered English through French in the 1600s, with the modern spelling and pronunciation established by the 18th century. The 'c' is pronounced as a /k/ sound in standard English, though some people use an /s/ sound for certain contexts like the Boston Celtics basketball team.