gaelic

IPA/ˈɡæl.ɪk/
KK[ɡˈelɪk]IPA/ˈɡæl.ɪk/

gaelic — noun

1. the Celtic tongue used today by communities in the Scottish Highlands and along

1.nounC1
Definition

the Celtic tongue used today by communities in the Scottish Highlands and along the country's western islands.

Example

Owen took weekend classes in Gaelic before his trip to the Isle of Skye.

uncountable: noun referring to the Scottish language

Road signs across the Highlands are written in both English and Gaelic.

common collocation: written in Gaelic

Common collocations
  • speak Gaelic
  • learn Gaelic
  • broadcast in Gaelic
Synonyms
  • Scottish Gaelic

    the formal name; clearer when Irish Gaelic is also in the discussion

  • Erse

    an older, now dated label sometimes applied to both Scottish and Irish Gaelic

Usage Note

Often called Scottish Gaelic to distinguish from sense 2 (Irish Gaelic). Used as an uncountable noun; never takes 'a' or a plural.

Common Mistakes

Gaelic is the language of all Scotland.
Gaelic is spoken in parts of western Scotland.
it is not the national language of Scotland; English is widely spoken everywhere.

2. the Celtic language of Ireland, which is one of the country's official languages

2.nounC1
Definition

the Celtic language of Ireland, which is one of the country's official languages and a required subject in Irish schools.

Example

Diego studied Gaelic for six years at his secondary school in Dublin.

context: Ireland's compulsory school subject

Many shop signs in Galway display their names in both English and Gaelic.

collocation: signs in Gaelic

Common collocations
  • learn Gaelic
  • speak Gaelic at school
  • translated into Gaelic
Synonyms
  • Irish

    the preferred everyday name within Ireland

  • Irish Gaelic

    fuller form, useful in contrast with Scottish Gaelic

Usage Note

Speakers in Ireland more commonly call this language 'Irish' or 'Irish Gaelic'. Distinguish from sense 1 (Scottish Gaelic) — they are related but mutually different languages.

Common Mistakes

Most Irish people speak Gaelic at home.
Most Irish people learn Gaelic at school but speak English at home.
daily use is mostly limited to certain western regions called the Gaeltacht.

3. the Celtic tongue once widely used on Man, an island between Britain and Ireland

3.nounC2
Definition

the Celtic tongue once widely used on Man, an island between Britain and Ireland — now mostly known from older speakers and revival projects.

Example

Henry studied poems written in Gaelic on the Isle of Man in the 1800s.

historical context: Isle of Man, past usage

By the 1970s, only a few elderly islanders still spoke Gaelic at home.

context: decline of native speakers

Common collocations
  • spoken on the Isle of Man
  • revive Gaelic
Synonyms
  • Manx

    the standard modern name in English

  • Manx Gaelic

    fuller form, makes the family link clear

Usage Note

Today this variety is more commonly called Manx or Manx Gaelic. Sense 3 differs from senses 1 and 2 by being a third distinct Celtic language, not a dialect of either.

Common Mistakes

Gaelic died out completely on the Isle of Man.
Gaelic almost died out on the Isle of Man but is being revived today.
active learners and school programmes have brought it back.

gaelic — adjective

Word family

  • Gael
    nounC2
  • Gaeldom
    nounC2
  • Goidelic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

When you mean the Celtic language of western Scotland, 'Gaelic' (or 'Scottish Gaelic' when clarity matters) is the standard modern label. 'Erse' is an older, now rarely used word that once covered both Scottish and Irish forms; today it sounds dated and can confuse readers. 'Celtic' is a much broader family term that also includes Welsh, Breton, and Cornish — useful at the language-group level but too vague when only Gaelic is meant. 'Highland' is geographic and cultural, not linguistic; people, customs, and music can be Highland, but a language is Gaelic, not Highland. So: use 'Gaelic' for the language itself, 'Scottish Gaelic' when contrasting with Irish, 'Celtic' for the family, and 'Highland' for the place and its broader culture.

Gaelic ↗ErseCeltic ↗Highland ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Gaelic speaker
  • Gaelic class
  • Gaelic poetry
  • Gaelic music
  • Gaelic culture

Phrases

  • written in Gaelic
  • translated into Gaelic
  • speak Gaelic fluently

Prepositions

  • in Gaelic
  • into Gaelic

Etymology

Old IrishScottish GaelicEnglish

The word comes from 'Gael', the traditional name for the Celtic peoples of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. It entered written English in the 18th century, formed by adding the ending '-ic' (meaning 'of' or 'relating to') to that name. The Gaels themselves trace their roots to Ireland, and over many centuries their language and culture spread to western Scotland and the Isle of Man, giving rise to three closely related but separate tongues now grouped under the same English label.