Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A subfamily of the Indo-European language family comprising the Insular and the Continental branches.
  • adjective Of or relating to the Celts or their languages.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to the Celts, or to their language: as, Celtic tribes; Celtic tongues; Celtic customs; of Celtic origin.
  • noun The language or group of dialects spoken by the Celts, including Welsh, Armoric or Breton, Irish, Gaelic, and Manx.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to the Celts.
  • noun The language of the Celts.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A branch of the Indo-European languages that was spread widely over western and central Europe in the pre-Christian era.
  • proper noun Any one of several sports teams. See Wikipedia for a list.
  • adjective Of the Celts; Of the style of the Celts

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective relating to or characteristic of the Celts
  • noun a branch of the Indo-European languages that (judging from inscriptions and place names) was spread widely over Europe in the pre-Christian era

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French celtique or Latin celticus. English since the 17th century.

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Examples

  • The Celtic spirit of yearning for the unknown, retained nowhere else as much as in Ireland, is expressed very beautifully by the poet Yeats in the introduction to his _Celtic Twilight_.

    The Book of Hallowe'en Ruth Edna Kelley

  • In a similar way, in some of the Celtic versions, a long series of incidents is inserted, clearly taken from the Sea Maiden story (see _Celtic Fairy Tales_, xvii.).

    Europa's Fairy Book Joseph Jacobs 1885

  • The Celtic elysium, "Flath-Innis," a remote island of the West, is mentioned by Logan in his _Celtic Gaël_, vol.ii. p. 342., who no doubt drew his information from the same source as Professor

    Notes and Queries, Number 206, October 8, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. Various 1852

  • CELTIC boss Tony Mowbray licks his lips as Celtic nibble away at Rangers 'lead.

    The Daily Record - Home 2010

  • CELTIC 3-0 ABERDEEN 0 (Georgios Samaras) 1628: Aberdeen defender Maurice Ross clears a Glenn Loovens header off the line as Celtic chase a third goal.

    BBC - Ouch 2009

  • CELTIC 3-0 ABERDEEN 0 (Georgios Samaras) 1628: Aberdeen defender Maurice Ross clears a Glenn Loovens header off the line as Celtic chase a third goal.

    BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition 2009

  • CELTIC could not have asked for more obliging opposition or scheduling ahead of Tuesday's Champions Sport Aiden McGeady insists Celtic have to get "in and around" Arsenal on Tuesday night if they are to get some joy against the Londoners in their Champions

    WN.com - Articles related to Olympics add length to golf's global reach 2009

  • If, therefore, we transfer the term Celtic to people, we can, if we use our words accurately, mean nothing but people who speak a Celtic language, the true exponent, aye, the very life of Celtic nationality.

    Chips From A German Workshop. Vol. III. Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities 1861

  • The term Celtic, again, is perfectly clear when used linguistically; but when used to describe a race it means almost nothing until we find out which one of several totally different terminologies the writer or speaker is adopting.

    II. Biological Analogies in History 1913

  • The term Celtic, again, is perfectly clear when used linguistically; but when used to describe a race it means almost nothing until we find out which one of several totally different terminologies the writer or speaker is adopting.

    African and European Addresses Theodore Roosevelt 1888

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