See Also: Celtic(dictionary)
Celtic(dictionary)
Celtic Exploration(finance)
Celtic languages(encyclopedia)
Celtic religion(encyclopedia)
Celtic Knots(recipes)

Celtic (iou)



Celtic adjective & noun. . L16.
[Latin Celticus (from Celtae) or French Celtique (from Celte): see CELT noun1, -IC.]
A. adjective. Of or pertaining to the Celts and related peoples, or (with specification as for the noun, a stage or division of) their language group. L16.
Celtic cross a Latin cross with a circle around the centre. Celtic fringe (the land of) the Highland Scots, Irish, Welsh, and Cornish in relation to the rest of Britain. Celtic nard: see NARD noun 2. Celtic Sea the area of sea south of Ireland and west of Cornwall. Celtic spikenard: see SPIKENARD 2. Celtic twilight [the title of an anthology collected by W. B. Yeats] the romantic fairy tale atmosphere of Irish folklore; literature etc. conveying this. spike Celtic: see SPIKE noun2 3.
B. noun. A branch of the Indo-European language family including Irish, Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton, and the languages from which they have developed. E17.
Common Celtic, (arch.) Old Celtic: the undifferentiated Indo-European language branch. P-Celtic the group of Celtic languages (represented by Welsh, Cornish, and Breton) in which Common Celtic *qu developed to p; Brittonic. Q-Celtic the group of Celtic languages (represented by Irish, Gaelic, and Manx) in which Common Celtic *qu was retained; Goidelic.
Celticism noun a Celtic custom or expression; devotion to Celtic customs; the branch of knowledge that deals with Celtic languages etc.: M19.
Celticist noun a student of Celtic languages or other Celtic matters E20.
Celticize verb trans. make Celtic in form, language, culture, etc. L19.