Definitions

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

  • noun A Gaelic-speaking Celt of Scotland, Ireland, or the Isle of Man.
  • noun A Scottish Highlander.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A Scottish Highlander or Celt.
  • noun An abbreviation of Gaelic.

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

  • noun (Ethnol.) A Celt or the Celts of the Scotch Highlands or of Ireland; now esp., a Scotch Highlander of Celtic origin.

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

  • noun A member of an ethnic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is one that is Gaelic.

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

  • noun a Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Scottish Gaelic Gaidheal and Irish Gaelic Gael, both from Old Irish Goídil; see Goidelic.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Scottish Gaelic Gàidheal and Irish Gaedheal, from Old Irish Goídel ("Irishman"), from Welsh gwyddel ("raider"), Proto-Celtic *weidelo- "savage, woodsman". This replaced older féni ("any free man") and fénechas ("oral tradition of native custom").

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Examples

  • This also comes via Pop Culture Junk Mail — Gael is on a roll!

    2009 February : Scrubbles.net 2009

  • I will see this movie solely because Gael is in it.

    'Letters to Juliet' trailer: I wonder if love will triumph in this movie | EW.com 2009

  • This also comes via Pop Culture Junk Mail — Gael is on a roll!

    Pop Cultures : Scrubbles.net 2009

  • But political experts largely expect Fine Gael, which is set to become Ireland's ruling party, to accept the bailout negotiated by outgoing Fianna Fail with a few modifications.

    High interest payments threaten Portugal, euro 2011

  • It's called The Gael and it's available on a CD called The Search.

    Ten transcendent film music moments DAVID BISHOP 2007

  • I know the psychology of the Gael is a curious one and that deep in all their hearts their ancient traditions and beliefs have strong and living roots.

    The Moon Pool 1919

  • So the Gael said, and, in that distant time, the people of the Gael were a wise people, holding the ancient knowledge, and they honoured the poet and feared him, for his fostering was among the people of the Shee, and his curse was quickened with the authority of the gods.

    Here are Ladies James Stephens 1916

  • I know the psychology of the Gael is a curious one and that deep in all their hearts their ancient traditions and beliefs have strong and living roots.

    The Moon Pool Abraham Merritt 1913

  • Oh, pulse of my heart, I know the gift we shall give to the Gael will be a memory to pity and sigh over, and I shall be the priestess of tears.

    Imaginations and Reveries George William Russell 1901

  • Fine Gael, which is favored to lead Ireland's next government following elections on Feb. 25 according to opinion polls, has said it may seek European approval to impose losses on senior bank bondholders if it takes power.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

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