Celticadj.n.

Brit.

/ˈkɛltɪk/,

/ˈsɛltɪk/, U.S.

/ˈkɛltɪk/,

/ˈsɛltɪk/ (In the names of sports teams, only)Brit.

/ˈsɛltɪk/, U.S.

/ˈsɛltɪk/

Forms: 1500s Celtyk, 1500s–1600s Celtique, 1500s–1600s Celtike, 1500s– Celtic, 1600s Celtik, 1600s–1800s Celtick, 1700s– Keltic, 1800s Keltick.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French celtique; Latin Celticus.

Etymology: < (i) Middle French, French celtique (mid 16th cent. with reference to both people and language), noun (1703 or earlier with reference to language; compare the discussion at Celt n.¹), and (especially in sense A. 1a) its etymon (ii) classical Latin Celticus of or relating to the Celts and their language < Celtae (see Celt n.¹) + -icus -ic suffix. Compare Hellenistic Greek Κελτικός (adjective) Celtic, Gaulish, ancient Greek Κελτική (noun) country of the Celts or Gauls. Compare also the German and Dutch forms cited at Celtish adj. Compare slightly later Celt n.¹Compare earlier nard Celtic n. at nard n. 3, which appears to be an independent borrowing of the classical Latin phrase nardum Celticum (compare also the French parallels cited at that lemma); compare further (apparently denoting the same plant) post-classical Latin spica Celtica , Anglo-Norman spik celtic (13th cent.), and spike celtic n. at spike n.¹ 4, and also Celtic nard n. at Compounds 1. Early use as place name. In early modern English (from the mid 16th cent.) forms of Celtic (as well as Celtica ) are also used as place names, typically for the part of Gaul called in classical Latin Gallia Celtica , literally ‘Celtic Gaul’ (Pliny; denoting a region corresponding to a large part of modern France), and by extension, for a similar region in later periods of history. Such uses are also paralleled in Middle French (mid 16th cent. or earlier). Compare post-classical Latin Celtica . Compare also the discussion at Belgic adj.

A. adj.

a. Of or relating to any of various peoples recorded as inhabiting western mainland Europe in the pre-Roman and early Roman period, referred to by the Greeks as Κελτοί and by the Romans as Celtae; esp. of or relating to the peoples living in central Gaul (Gallia Celtica) at the time of the Roman expansion into that area; of or relating to ancient Gaul or the Gauls; Gaulish. Cf. Celt n.¹ 1a.In early use chiefly as a postmodifier.The peoples and cultures designated by the term Celtic have varied considerably over time (cf. Celt n.¹ 1b and the note at that sense), and there is often some overlap or ambiguity between uses in this sense and in senses A. 3 or A. 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [adjective] > Celts of France

Celtic?1530

Gallo-Celtica1711

the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > native or inhabitant of ancient or medieval Europe > the Gauls > [adjective]

Celtic?1530

Gaulish1594

Gallican1598

Gaul1601

Gaulic1610

Menapian1709

Gallic1796

Gallo-Roman1841

?1530 J. Rastell Pastyme of People sig. B iii. Ancharius son of bartherus and luter sone of kynge morbodus..went ouer the ryuers of ryne & meuze in to galle dystroyng the countrey & so forth ouer the reuer of seyne in to gall celtyk.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxxvi^v The realme of Fraunce whiche is your patrimony is compact of .iii. Gaules, Belgique, Celtique and Aquitain, and no part of Salicque.

1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 46 The famous Celtique King Bellovesus.

1656 T. Blount Glossographia Celtique, pertaining to the people of Gaul.

1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. Pref. p. viii Fragments of Celtic idols lately discovered in the cathedral at Paris.

1884 J. Rhŷs Celtic Brit. 2 Britain was considered to be outside the Celtic world.

1984 Archaeology Sept. 27/3 The impressive ruins of Alésia, the Roman town which succeeded the Celtic fortress where Caesar brought Vercingetorix to his knees.

2006 P. Freeman in J. T. Koch Celtic Culture III. 845/2 By the time of Caesar's invasion in the first century BC knowledge of the Celtic tribes in Transalpine Gaul was much more secure.

†b. In extended use (chiefly poetic): of or relating to France or its people; French. Cf. Gaul n. 2, Gaulish adj. 1. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1604 A. Craig Poet. Ess. sig. E4^v I taste no Celtic nor Iberian Wine.

1627 W. Douglas Encouragements for Warres of France sig. A4 An aide of Scotts doth earnestlie implore 'gainst Saxons, who supprest the Celticke shore.

1707 S. Cobb Poems 42 By distant Winds the dreadful Sound is blown To proud Versailles, and shakes the Celtick Throne.

2. Originally: designating or relating to the language or languages spoken by the ancient Celts or by people considered to be related to them (see Celt n.¹ 1b and the note at that sense). Now: spec. designating or relating to a group of Indo-European languages including (among others) Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton; belonging to or characteristic of such a language.For a more detailed discussion of this branch of Indo-European, see sense B. 2. Such use developed in the early 18th cent. (cf. discussion at Celt n.¹).Formerly, Celtic was occasionally applied to Irish or Scottish Gaelic in contradistinction to Cymric, used to designate Welsh (cf. quot. a1892).

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the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Celtic

Celtic1590

Gaelic1741

1590 J. Hammon tr. B. Aneau Αλεκτορ xiv. 82 They gaue me the title of Frank, which in the Celtique language [Fr. en langage Celtique] signifieth liberall and hardie.

1642 S. D'Ewes in Bill of Foure Subsidies Disputed sig. A4 They call it Cair-grant, the word Cair is the old celtique tongue, signifying City.

1688 A. Behn Translator's Pref. in A. Behn tr. M. de Fontenelle Discov. New Worlds sig. A5 The Basbritton and Biscagne Languages, which is derived from the old Celtick Tongue, the first that was spoken amongst the Ancient Gauls, who descended from the Celts.

1789 J. Pinkerton Enq. Hist. Scotl. I. iii. ii. 135 In like manner the Irish and Welch retained the Celtic grammar; but their speech even in it's earliest remains is no more Celtic than the Hungarian is Turkish.

1888 H. Sweet Hist. Eng. Sounds (new ed.) 147 Words in which the doubling occurs after unmutated vowels..as in frogga ‘frog’, clugge ‘bell’, which last is certainly Celtic.

a1892 A. Agnew Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway (1893) I. vii. 116 The bay..retains its name phonetically almost unaltered, whether in its Celtic or Cymric form (Lochriaghan or Llwch Rheon).

1989 J. P. Mallory In Search of Indo-Europeans iii. 95 The Celtic languages are traditionally divided into two major geographical groups—Continental and Insular.

2005 Ériu 55 141 The form in which it was most probably borrowed into Irish shows Celtic morphology.

3. Of or relating to the Celts considered more widely as a group including any of various ancient peoples inhabiting western Europe and the British Isles, esp. in the Iron Age; having features or characteristics considered typical of the culture, art, etc., of this period and area. Cf. Celt n.¹ 1b.Also as the second element in compounds, as Hiberno-Celtic n., Gallo-Celtic adj., Romano-Celtic adj., etc.Now most commonly applied to the La Tène period of Iron Age culture in central and western Europe (see La Tène n.), but often avoided or used somewhat self-consciously as a result of awareness of the term's shifting connotations over time.

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the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [adjective]

Celtican1607

Celtish1612

Celtic1647

pan-Celtic1867

1647 J. Hare St. Edwards Ghost 8 Tis true that the Celtick Nation was once very great and famous, as possessing both the Gallia's and Britaine.

1747 T. Carte Gen. Hist. Eng. I. i. 7 That they [sc. the ancient inhabitants of Britain] were a Celtic nation, and came hither from Gaule, is no longer doubted.

1861 T. Bateman Ten Years' Diggings p. xiii In North Derbyshire the Saxons have generally taken advantage of the Celtic tumuli.

1888 Archaeol. Rev. 1 112 The typical ‘Late Celtic’ sword, or as it is known on the Continent, the sword of La Tène.

1911 J. A. MacCulloch Relig. Anc. Celts i. 5 Those gods worshipped far and wide over the Celtic area may be gods of the undivided Celts, or gods of some dominant Celtic group extending their influence on all sides.

1979 Latomus 38 352 Figurines of boars which are Iron Age and Celtic in style.

2019 A. M. Jones in A. M. Jones & M. Diaz-Guardamino Making a Mark i. 3 The intricately wrought La Tene metalwork of ‘Celtic’ Europe.

a. Of or relating to any nation or region in which Celtic languages (see sense A. 2) are still spoken or were spoken until relatively recently, esp. those in the British Isles; relating to, originating from, or characteristic of the people or culture of these areas. Cf. Celt n.¹ 2.In early use often applied specifically to Irish or Scottish Gaelic-speaking areas or populations; sometimes in contradistinction to Cymric designating Welsh or Brittonic-speaking peoples.Frequently with implications of continuity from sense A. 3, esp. in early use.

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1778 Caledonia 44 This Celtic garb, the comfortable plaid, That screen'd alike from winter's chilly blast, And summer's scorching heat.

1827 Times 31 Dec. The isolated state in which the Celtic population of the British Isles has been allowed to remain so long, is a reproach both to the Government and the nation.

1852 G. Bancroft Hist. Amer. Revol. II. iv. 69 She [sc. Elizabeth I] established the Protestant Episcopal Church by an act of what was called an Irish parliament, in which the Celtic Irish had no part.

1872 S. Ferguson Congal Notes 201 Such legends and objects as still surround us, and continue to give to the Celtic and Cymric peasant his longer-lived superstitions.

1930 Cornishman 24 Apr. (Market ed.) 4/5 Mr Garstin had inherited the Celtic temperament, for his father was an Irishman, and his life was throughout adventurous and eventful.

1946 PMLA 61 259 He was successful in inducing the Pan-Celtic Congress to recognize Cornwall as one of the family of Celtic nations.

2000 Catholic Hist. Rev. 86 96 My own ancestry is at least three-quarters Celtic.

b. Of or relating to the Celtic-speaking peoples of the British Isles in the early Middle Ages, as distinguished from the Germanic population of Anglo-Saxon England; relating to or characteristic of the culture, art, etc., of these peoples. Cf. sense A. 6.In early use largely a contextual use of sense A. 4a.

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1839 T. Keightley Hist. Eng. (new ed.) I. 78 The bishops and abbots..sat nearest the king; beneath them were the vassal Celtic and Cymric princes, the ealdormen of shires, and the land-holders of the kingdom.

1852 T. Wright Celt, Roman, & Saxon xvi. 454 It is a remarkable circumstance connected with these Celtic kingdoms, that when we first become acquainted with them—about the time of St. Augustine—we find that Christianity was established among them.

1973 D. J. V. Fisher Anglo-Saxon Age xii. 277 It would have been understandable if the Celtic kings and princes of the west and north had reacted strongly against the increasing authority of the king of England.

1981 J. Backhouse Lindisfarne Gospels (1993) viii. 80 The style in which the figures are portrayed..is reminiscent of the Celtic rather than the Mediterranean strain in book decoration.

2018 Jrnl. Irish Archaeol. 27 84/1 The low percentage of Scandinavian objects—as compared to ‘Celtic’ artefacts—in the Manx Viking graves is worthy of note.

5. Designating or relating to a body of myth, legend, and folklore associated with Celtic-speaking areas (esp. in the British Isles), mostly recorded from the early medieval period or later, but often perceived as preserving stories or beliefs from the pre-Christian period or even earlier.

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1786 J. Pinkerton Anc. Sc. Poems I. p. lx The carousal of Odin never appears in Celtic mythology, where the stern character of the Druids also influenced the people.

1818 Classical Jrnl. 18 57 The Bun..of Celtic legends, corresponds with Azyornka and Proserpine.

1869 J. S. S. Glennie Arthurian Localities 111 The topographical preservation in Scotland..of the traditions both of Fingal and of Arthur, and hence of tales belonging to both the great branches of Celtic Mythology.

1945 Folk-lore 56 295 Our investigation of magic weapons in Celtic legends illuminates one of the reasons..for the omission of detailed descriptions.

2017 Mediaevistik 30 355/1 The show drew heavily upon Celtic mythology for its characters (e.g., one major villain was called the Morrigan).

6. Designating or relating to a form of Christian practice considered to be distinctive to, or to originate in, a Celtic-speaking region or regions; esp. designating Christianity as practised in Celtic-speaking areas of the British Isles during the early Middle Ages, regarded as distinct from that introduced to Anglo-Saxon England from Rome in the late 6th cent.Sources such as Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica suggest that the form of Christianity which survived in the north and west of the British Isles differed in some respects from that introduced by the Augustinian mission, most notably in the method used to calculate Easter. However, many modern scholars do not accept the idea (once widely held) that these differences of practice reflect a significantly separate Christian tradition distinct from or opposed to the Roman Church.

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1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. iii. xi. 475 The introduction of foreign scholars, by David I., when he reformed the Celtic church of Scotland, gave a new body, and an energetic soul, to the learning of his people.

1850 Daily News 4 Nov. 6/2 The Celtic Church, at the time of the mission of the monk Augustine, was in powerful antagonism to Rome and her corruptions.

1893 J. K. Hewison Isle of Bute I. x. 198 From the fragments of the Celtic Liturgy, we can gather it was a most solemn and beautiful service which first sounded in Kiblaan.

1929 Blackfriars Feb. 865 How severe, how self-denying, self-repressive, and austere Celtic monasticism was in spirit and aim is proved by the rule of St. Columbanus.

1973 D. J. V. Fisher Anglo-Saxon Age iii. 82 The divergent practices of the Celtic Church were the result not of opposition to Rome but of isolation from it.

2006 Folklore 117 309 Celtic Christianity is perceived as being intuitive and in tune with nature.

7. Designating a style or type of music traditional in and strongly associated with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and other Celtic-speaking areas. Also (in later use): designating music that is influenced by or incorporates elements of this style.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > folk music > [adjective] > other folk music

Celtic1816

down home1907

old-time1908

mariachi1940

klezmer1961

rootsy1962

blue-eyed1965

sakkie-sakkie1970

old-timey1972

pseudo-folk1976

norteña1983

1816 S. Fraser Airs & Melodies Peculiar to Highlands App. 107/2 Sir John Sinclair was so kind as [to] transmit a copy of this Fingalian air to the Editor... In a work avowedly compiling the Celtic melodies..it will scarcely be deemed presumption to have inserted it.

1870 Bangor (Maine) Daily Whig & Courier 16 Nov. She beguiled her weary hours with Celtic ballads sung in the most heart-rending style.

1970 Melody Maker 5 Sept. His style was mellow, comforting, typically his own; a mixture of traditional Scottish ballads and his own brand of Celtic Rock.

2018 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz.-Mail (Nexis) 1 Mar. 6 d Playing loud, raucous Celtic punk has been good for the band.

8. Designating a style of ornamentation characterized particularly by complex interlacing patterns and the use of curvilinear motifs, including spirals and triskeles, considered typical of the art of Celtic peoples, esp. those of the British Isles in the early Middle Ages; resembling or evoking this style of decoration. Cf. Celtic knot n. at Compounds 1.

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?1867 Illustr. London Almanack 1868 56/1 This Celtic knot-work was ever chased, engraved, enamelled and set with precious uncut jewels.

1927 Evening Tel. & Post (Dundee) 8 Mar. (Late extra ed.) 7/3 The Tassie is beautifully adorned with Celtic ornamentation.

1987 Irish Arts Rev. Spring 34/2 (caption) Jardinière with a band of Celtic interlace.

2006 Daily Post (Nexis) 15 Nov. (N. Wales ed.) 23 Unique oak tables decorated with Celtic patterns inlaid with slate.

B. n.

1. A member of any of various ancient peoples inhabiting western Europe; a Celt. Cf. Celt n.¹ 1. Now rare.

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the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [noun] > person

Celtic1596

Celt1701

Celtican1890

1596 E. Spenser View State Ireland (MS Lambeth) in Wks. (Grosart) IX. 71 All which Pompeius Mela, beinge himselfe a Spaniarde, yet saith to have descended from the Celtics of Fraunce.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. iii. iv. 55 The countie or jurisdiction Lucensis, compriseth sixteene towns (besides the Celtikes and Lebunians) of base condition.

1664 J. Howell Προεδρια-Βασιλικη 179 Which Celtiks were before the Greeks or Latins, a Peeple that dwelt where Paris in France now stands.

1750 S. Berington Diss. Mosaical Creation xii. 460 Whether the Ombri, or the Etruscans, or the Celtics, came very early from the Eastern Parts.

1835 A. Cregeen Dict. Manks Lang. 67/1 Mr. James Macpherson..when speaking of the ancient Celtics, says that it [sc. Flaunys] is from flath (noble or blessed) and innys (an island).

2019 Harvard Internat. Rev. 40 11/1 At least initially, all peoples were once relatively isolated and uncontacted. This goes for the Celtics, the Cherokees, the Xhosas, and the Hmong.

2. Originally: a language spoken by the ancient Celts or by any of various peoples considered to be related to them (see Celt n.¹ 1b and the note at that sense). Now: spec. the branch of the Indo-European language family comprising Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and several other languages currently or formerly spoken in the British Isles and parts of mainland Europe; (occasionally) an ancient language considered to have been the ancestor of this group.The Celtic languages are frequently divided into Insular Celtic (including Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton), and Continental Celtic, including ancient languages such as Gaulish and Celtiberian which are attested from inscriptions, place names, and references in classical authors as once having been spoken in parts of Western Europe; see also P-Celtic n., Q-Celtic n.Quot. 1658 could alternatively be interpreted as showing a use of the adjective modifying tongue.

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the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Celtic

Celtic1658

British Celtic1786

1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Pref. sig. b3^v About 11 several Tongues..spoken in Europe..; the chief whereof..are the Teutonick or Dutch, the Slavonian, the Cantabrian, the old Brittish or Celtick.

1699 M. Lister Journey to Paris (new ed.) 96 Greek and Latin too, came from the Celtique or Bas-breton; of which Country he is.

1708 G. Mackenzie Lives Writers Sc. Nation I. 386 Dun, which in the Celtic signifies a Hill.

1739 D. Malcolm (title) Collection of letters..in which the usefulness of the Celtic is instanced in illustrating the antiquities of the British Isles.

1887 W. Stokes in Trans. Philol. Soc. 1885–7 20 242 Both forms in Celtic are toneless proclitics.

1929 Studies Mar. 123 Despite the large number of Celtic speakers in Bretagne, Celtic is not studied much in Paris.

1953 E. H. Hahn Subjunctive & Optative 37 Celtic indubitably has an -ā- subjunctive allied to that of Italic.

2018 Ériu 68 44 What distinguishes Old Irish -glu from its thematic-stem British cognates is that another suffix has been added to it, namely *-on-, which had an individualising or agentive force in Celtic.

Compounds

C1. Compounds of the adjective.

Celtic cross n. a cross having a ring encircling the intersection of the vertical and horizontal beams.This form of cross is particularly associated with early medieval monumental stone crosses found in Ireland and Britain. Cf. Irish cross n. (a) at Irish adj. and n. Compounds 3.

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society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > cross > [noun] > other types of cross

potencec1460

cross patonce1562

entrailed1562

Avellan1610

Greek cross1725

Latin cross1797

pendall?1828

spindle cross1828

Irish cross1832

cross patée1844

Celtic cross1857

Teutonic cross1882

1857 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 20 July The cup rests on six harps, which crown a beautiful shaft, richly decorated with the vine, wheat, and Celtic cross.

1969 C. Carfax Silence with Voices x. 67 All the tombstones had their backs to the water except one. This, a lichened Celtic cross, faced the others.

2002 Z. Radcliffe London Irish viii. 119 She..returned her attention to the half-carved Celtic cross that sat in her lap.

Celtic fringe n. the Celtic areas of Britain and Ireland (see sense A. 4a), when regarded as peripheral to, and to some extent distinct from, the rest of the British Isles; the population of these areas, esp. considered in contradistinction to that of England; (also occasionally) the Celtic-speaking territory and peoples that lived along the western edges of the Roman Empire; cf. fringe n. 2b.Sometimes with depreciative overtones, esp. in early use.

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the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [noun]

Celtdom1841

Celtic fringe1885

the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > British Isles > [noun] > land of the Gaels

Gaeldom1860

Celtic fringe1885

Gaeltacht1910

1885 Times 16 May 11/2 It will be admitted that in the declining days of this Parliament..the affairs of the ‘Celtic fringe’ of the United Kingdom have had their full share of notice.

1899 A. H. Keane Man Past & Pres. xiv. 523 What has been called the ‘Keltic fringe’, that is, the strips of territory on the skirts of the Teutonic and Neo-Latin domains in the extreme west—Brittany, Wales, parts of Ireland, the Scotch Highlands and the Isle of Man.

1910 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 Aug. 341/2 Dr. Maclean..belonged, like himself, to the Celtic fringe, without which the English were but an egg without salt.

1992 M. J. Green in G. Price Celtic Connection 27 By the Roman period, only a ‘Celtic fringe’ remained unromanized and, to a large extent, unconquered.

2000 Holiday & Leisure Spring 7/1 Plymouth is the gateway into Cornwall..and, as part of the Celtic fringe, in many ways considers itself as almost a separate country!

Celtic harp n. a small harp of a type often used in Celtic folk music, traditionally having metal strings, a curved pillar and a large body (pillar n. 5b, body n. 6h); = clairschach n.Models made during and after the 19th cent. are typically lighter and have gut, or later nylon, strings.In quot. 1792, which alludes to Thomas Gray's 1757 poem The Bard, the Celtic harp symbolizes Wales.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > harp or lyre > [noun] > Celtic harp

clairschach1490

Irish harp1599

Celtic harp1792

1792 N. in R. Polwhele Poems Gentlemen Devonshire & Cornwall I. 145 The Celtic harp was broke—Lewellyn fell.

1904 C. J. Herlihy Celt above Saxon vi. 144 The Celtic harp is the most ancient form of musical instrument now in existence; and we can judge of its perfection from the fact that after the lapse of centuries it still survives to the present day.

2004 Evening Standard (Nexis) 21 July 17 The 47-year-old is now a licensed regular at Green Park station, playing a Celtic harp.

Celtic knot n. a type of ornamental knot; (also) a decorative motif representing such a knot, esp. one in which a cord forming a continuous loop crosses over and under itself in an elaborate pattern; cf. A. 8.

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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced

fretc1385

friar knots1488

chainwork1551

knot1638

Gordian knotc1660

meander1706

entrelac1723

triquetra1845

knotwork1851

strapwork1854

Celtic knot1865

snake-knot1866

aligreek1867

plaitwork1871

honeycomb work1874

strap-ornament1895

honeycomb1924

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > a bond, tie, or fastening > [noun] > knot > other knots

water knot1496

draw knot1635

slip-knot1679

tie-knot1800

timber-hitch1815

thorough-put1829

fisherman's bendc1860

Celtic knot1865

lark's head1866

waterman's knot1866

packing knot1871

fisherman's knot1876

prusik knot1937

1865 Dublin Internat. Exhib. Arts & Manuf.: Official Catal. (ed. 2) 270 Fan—Modern Chinese;..string tied with Celtic knot.

1904 Athenæum 27 Aug. 280/2 The cross of St. Brynach, gloriously sculptured with Celtic knots and frets,..was gazed on with admiration.

2009 M. Rowen Hot Spell v. 69 She noticed he had a tattoo on his right shoulder blade—an intricate Celtic knot design in black ink.

Celtic nard n. now historical an aromatic plant with pinkish-white flowers, Valeriana celtica (family Valerianaceae (or Caprifoliaceae)), native to parts of the Alps; (also) the root of this plant, used in perfumery and (formerly) in medicine; cf. nard Celtic n. at nard n. 3. [Compare earlier nard Celtic n. at nard n. 3 and the foreign-language forms cited at that entry; compare also the discussion in the main etymology.]

ΚΠ

1649 N. Culpeper Physicall Directory 13 Celtick nard, according to Rondeletius wonderfully provokes urine.

1799 tr. Laboratory (ed. 6) I. xiv. 432 The following drugs, viz. liquorish, and celtic-nard.

1865 G. C. M. Birdwood Catal. Veg. Productions Bombay (ed. 2) 47 Celtic Nard is exported largely from Austria to Turkey and Egypt for scenting baths.

1911 Encycl. Brit. XXV. 668/1 Celtic nard, obtained from the Ligurian Alps and Istria, consisted of the roots of plants also belonging to the valerian order.

2000 A. Dalby Dangerous Tastes 87 Medical writers tell us..of ‘Celtic nard’ which was the Alpine plant Valeriana celtica, and others too.

Celtic Revival n. (also with lower-case initial in second element) (usually with the) any of various movements promoting or characterized by a resurgence of interest in Celtic languages, literature, art, mythology, etc.; spec. such a movement which occurred in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Cf. Gaelic revival n. Irish Revival n.

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1869 J. S. S. Glennie Arthurian Localities iv. 100 Let us..think rather of MacPherson..as the original genius from whom is to be dated that Celtic Revival which has already influenced..the literature of Europe.

1872 Shamrock 2 Mar. 327/2 The late production of all the old Irish manuscripts and the Celtic revival in general have reminded the Scots of the old literary fame of Ireland.

1914 Mod. Philol. 11 574 In..1781, John Pinkerton published his volume of Rimes, conspicuous in the Celtic revival for the beautiful poems about Ossian.

2012 J. J. Ross Shakespeare's Tremor & Orwell's Cough vii. 150 He [sc. Yeats] is heavily identified with the Celtic Revival, which drew on the themes and subject matter of traditional Irish literature.

Celtic studies n. the study of Celtic languages, culture, history, etc., esp. as an academic subject or course.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > learning > study > subject or object of study > [noun] > specific subjects

modern languages1605

English1713

Celtic studies1781

religious studies1824

Eng. Lit.1834

polytechnics1850

business administration1852

Eng. Lang.1857

business studies1880

historiography1889

academic1898

peace studies1903

religious education1914

Asian studies1941

religious instruction1960

religious knowledge1961

black studies1968

media studies1968

gender studies1973

1781 J. Foulis Let. 1 Nov. in Edinb. Mag. (1801) Oct. 253/2 Nor will I say a word to you about my surprising progress in Celtic studies.

1901 Gael (N.Y.) Oct. 297/1 It may be said without exaggeration and without fear of contradiction, that at no time have Celtic studies been in a more flourishing condition than they are at the present moment.

2007 Seanchas Ardmhacha 21 434 While Dermot was very intelligent and well-read—he had a first class honours degree in Celtic Studies from the National University of Ireland—he wore his learning lightly.

Celtic Tiger n. (also with lower-case initials) the Irish economy (or Ireland itself) during a period of rapid growth in the 1990s and early 2000s (cf. tiger n. Additions); (now also) the period during which this economic growth took place.

ΚΠ

1994 Irish Times 2 Sept. (Business section) 2/2 The Irish stock market..‘has some of the most exciting prospects of all’... The economy is tentatively dubbed a ‘celtic tiger’.

1998 World in 1998 (Economist Publ.) 46/1 This impressive growth, combined with a large current-account surplus, low inflation, a healthy budget and stable industrial relations, have earned Ireland the nick-name ‘Celtic tiger’.

2002 Foreign Policy Jan. 44/1 In the past two years, the Celtic Tiger has really begun to roar.

2003 Sun (Nexis) 21 Apr. During the Celtic Tiger, tax breaks benefited the wealthiest.

2019 Studies 108 56 The roller-coaster of the economic boom of the Celtic Tiger years and the rise in immigration followed by the downturn of the last decade.

Celtic twilight n. (also with upper-case initials) a romantic, mystical atmosphere or style attributed to or associated with the Celtic mythology, legend, and folklore of the British Isles, esp. Ireland, or with works inspired by this; the artistic and literary works of the Celtic Revival (Celtic Revival n.) considered as typifying this style.Frequently with disparaging implication.Originally and chiefly used allusively with reference to the title of W. B. Yeats's 1893 collection of stories based on Irish folklore.

ΚΠ

1893 W. B. Yeats (title) The Celtic twilight.]

1923 A. Huxley On Margin 30 If Mr. Yeats understood the Einstein theory..he too could give us, out of the Celtic twilight, his lyrics of relativity.

1936 R. Lehmann Weather in Streets iv. ii. 398 The mixture of Celtic twilight and Aubrey Beardsley decor which..enshrouded her.

1977 S. Heaney Preoccupations (1984) 135 It has long been fashionable to smile indulgently at the Celtic Twilight.

2009 Canad. Jrnl. Irish Stud. 35 ii. 31/2 Lest his readers think he is a latter-day Revivalist, he mocks Yeats's romanticism and bogus anthropological assertions concerning the peasantry in a parody of Celtic Twilight prose.

C2. Compounds of the noun (in sense B. 2).

Celtic speaker n.

ΚΠ

1863 H. M‘Manus Sketches Irish Highlands ii. 56 All Celtic speakers know, that the original possesses a force and pathos of which this translation is only the shadow.

2017 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 116 47 Until recently, discussion..has centered on whether or not the hypothetical Celtic speaker was a Welshman, Breton, or Cornishman.

Celtic-speaking adj.

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1843 Spectator Oct. 28 1022/2 The Celtic-speaking population of Ireland are no more a pure Celtic race than the English-speaking population..can be considered a pure Saxon race.

2016 Chaucer Rev. 51 274 The western Celtic-speaking areas known as Haute-Bretagne.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2022; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	celtic
释义	Celticadj.n. Brit. /ˈkɛltɪk/, /ˈsɛltɪk/, U.S. /ˈkɛltɪk/, /ˈsɛltɪk/ (In the names of sports teams, only)Brit. /ˈsɛltɪk/, U.S. /ˈsɛltɪk/ Forms: 1500s Celtyk, 1500s–1600s Celtique, 1500s–1600s Celtike, 1500s– Celtic, 1600s Celtik, 1600s–1800s Celtick, 1700s– Keltic, 1800s Keltick. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French celtique; Latin Celticus. Etymology: < (i) Middle French, French celtique (mid 16th cent. with reference to both people and language), noun (1703 or earlier with reference to language; compare the discussion at Celt n.¹), and (especially in sense A. 1a) its etymon (ii) classical Latin Celticus of or relating to the Celts and their language < Celtae (see Celt n.¹) + -icus -ic suffix. Compare Hellenistic Greek Κελτικός (adjective) Celtic, Gaulish, ancient Greek Κελτική (noun) country of the Celts or Gauls. Compare also the German and Dutch forms cited at Celtish adj. Compare slightly later Celt n.¹Compare earlier nard Celtic n. at nard n. 3, which appears to be an independent borrowing of the classical Latin phrase nardum Celticum (compare also the French parallels cited at that lemma); compare further (apparently denoting the same plant) post-classical Latin spica Celtica , Anglo-Norman spik celtic (13th cent.), and spike celtic n. at spike n.¹ 4, and also Celtic nard n. at Compounds 1. Early use as place name. In early modern English (from the mid 16th cent.) forms of Celtic (as well as Celtica ) are also used as place names, typically for the part of Gaul called in classical Latin Gallia Celtica , literally ‘Celtic Gaul’ (Pliny; denoting a region corresponding to a large part of modern France), and by extension, for a similar region in later periods of history. Such uses are also paralleled in Middle French (mid 16th cent. or earlier). Compare post-classical Latin Celtica . Compare also the discussion at Belgic adj. A. adj. 1. a. Of or relating to any of various peoples recorded as inhabiting western mainland Europe in the pre-Roman and early Roman period, referred to by the Greeks as Κελτοί and by the Romans as Celtae; esp. of or relating to the peoples living in central Gaul (Gallia Celtica) at the time of the Roman expansion into that area; of or relating to ancient Gaul or the Gauls; Gaulish. Cf. Celt n.¹ 1a.In early use chiefly as a postmodifier.The peoples and cultures designated by the term Celtic have varied considerably over time (cf. Celt n.¹ 1b and the note at that sense), and there is often some overlap or ambiguity between uses in this sense and in senses A. 3 or A. 4. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [adjective] > Celts of France Celtic?1530 Gallo-Celtica1711 the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > native or inhabitant of ancient or medieval Europe > the Gauls > [adjective] Celtic?1530 Gaulish1594 Gallican1598 Gaul1601 Gaulic1610 Menapian1709 Gallic1796 Gallo-Roman1841 ?1530 J. Rastell Pastyme of People sig. B iii. Ancharius son of bartherus and luter sone of kynge morbodus..went ouer the ryuers of ryne & meuze in to galle dystroyng the countrey & so forth ouer the reuer of seyne in to gall celtyk. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxxvi^v The realme of Fraunce whiche is your patrimony is compact of .iii. Gaules, Belgique, Celtique and Aquitain, and no part of Salicque. 1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 46 The famous Celtique King Bellovesus. 1656 T. Blount Glossographia Celtique, pertaining to the people of Gaul. 1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. Pref. p. viii Fragments of Celtic idols lately discovered in the cathedral at Paris. 1884 J. Rhŷs Celtic Brit. 2 Britain was considered to be outside the Celtic world. 1984 Archaeology Sept. 27/3 The impressive ruins of Alésia, the Roman town which succeeded the Celtic fortress where Caesar brought Vercingetorix to his knees. 2006 P. Freeman in J. T. Koch Celtic Culture III. 845/2 By the time of Caesar's invasion in the first century BC knowledge of the Celtic tribes in Transalpine Gaul was much more secure. †b. In extended use (chiefly poetic): of or relating to France or its people; French. Cf. Gaul n. 2, Gaulish adj. 1. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1604 A. Craig Poet. Ess. sig. E4^v I taste no Celtic nor Iberian Wine. 1627 W. Douglas Encouragements for Warres of France sig. A4 An aide of Scotts doth earnestlie implore 'gainst Saxons, who supprest the Celticke shore. 1707 S. Cobb Poems 42 By distant Winds the dreadful Sound is blown To proud Versailles, and shakes the Celtick Throne. 2. Originally: designating or relating to the language or languages spoken by the ancient Celts or by people considered to be related to them (see Celt n.¹ 1b and the note at that sense). Now: spec. designating or relating to a group of Indo-European languages including (among others) Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton; belonging to or characteristic of such a language.For a more detailed discussion of this branch of Indo-European, see sense B. 2. Such use developed in the early 18th cent. (cf. discussion at Celt n.¹).Formerly, Celtic was occasionally applied to Irish or Scottish Gaelic in contradistinction to Cymric, used to designate Welsh (cf. quot. a1892). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Celtic Celtic1590 Gaelic1741 1590 J. Hammon tr. B. Aneau Αλεκτορ xiv. 82 They gaue me the title of Frank, which in the Celtique language [Fr. en langage Celtique] signifieth liberall and hardie. 1642 S. D'Ewes in Bill of Foure Subsidies Disputed sig. A4 They call it Cair-grant, the word Cair is the old celtique tongue, signifying City. 1688 A. Behn Translator's Pref. in A. Behn tr. M. de Fontenelle Discov. New Worlds sig. A5 The Basbritton and Biscagne Languages, which is derived from the old Celtick Tongue, the first that was spoken amongst the Ancient Gauls, who descended from the Celts. 1789 J. Pinkerton Enq. Hist. Scotl. I. iii. ii. 135 In like manner the Irish and Welch retained the Celtic grammar; but their speech even in it's earliest remains is no more Celtic than the Hungarian is Turkish. 1888 H. Sweet Hist. Eng. Sounds (new ed.) 147 Words in which the doubling occurs after unmutated vowels..as in frogga ‘frog’, clugge ‘bell’, which last is certainly Celtic. a1892 A. Agnew Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway (1893) I. vii. 116 The bay..retains its name phonetically almost unaltered, whether in its Celtic or Cymric form (Lochriaghan or Llwch Rheon). 1989 J. P. Mallory In Search of Indo-Europeans iii. 95 The Celtic languages are traditionally divided into two major geographical groups—Continental and Insular. 2005 Ériu 55 141 The form in which it was most probably borrowed into Irish shows Celtic morphology. 3. Of or relating to the Celts considered more widely as a group including any of various ancient peoples inhabiting western Europe and the British Isles, esp. in the Iron Age; having features or characteristics considered typical of the culture, art, etc., of this period and area. Cf. Celt n.¹ 1b.Also as the second element in compounds, as Hiberno-Celtic n., Gallo-Celtic adj., Romano-Celtic adj., etc.Now most commonly applied to the La Tène period of Iron Age culture in central and western Europe (see La Tène n.), but often avoided or used somewhat self-consciously as a result of awareness of the term's shifting connotations over time. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [adjective] Celtican1607 Celtish1612 Celtic1647 pan-Celtic1867 1647 J. Hare St. Edwards Ghost 8 Tis true that the Celtick Nation was once very great and famous, as possessing both the Gallia's and Britaine. 1747 T. Carte Gen. Hist. Eng. I. i. 7 That they [sc. the ancient inhabitants of Britain] were a Celtic nation, and came hither from Gaule, is no longer doubted. 1861 T. Bateman Ten Years' Diggings p. xiii In North Derbyshire the Saxons have generally taken advantage of the Celtic tumuli. 1888 Archaeol. Rev. 1 112 The typical ‘Late Celtic’ sword, or as it is known on the Continent, the sword of La Tène. 1911 J. A. MacCulloch Relig. Anc. Celts i. 5 Those gods worshipped far and wide over the Celtic area may be gods of the undivided Celts, or gods of some dominant Celtic group extending their influence on all sides. 1979 Latomus 38 352 Figurines of boars which are Iron Age and Celtic in style. 2019 A. M. Jones in A. M. Jones & M. Diaz-Guardamino Making a Mark i. 3 The intricately wrought La Tene metalwork of ‘Celtic’ Europe. 4. a. Of or relating to any nation or region in which Celtic languages (see sense A. 2) are still spoken or were spoken until relatively recently, esp. those in the British Isles; relating to, originating from, or characteristic of the people or culture of these areas. Cf. Celt n.¹ 2.In early use often applied specifically to Irish or Scottish Gaelic-speaking areas or populations; sometimes in contradistinction to Cymric designating Welsh or Brittonic-speaking peoples.Frequently with implications of continuity from sense A. 3, esp. in early use. ΚΠ 1778 Caledonia 44 This Celtic garb, the comfortable plaid, That screen'd alike from winter's chilly blast, And summer's scorching heat. 1827 Times 31 Dec. The isolated state in which the Celtic population of the British Isles has been allowed to remain so long, is a reproach both to the Government and the nation. 1852 G. Bancroft Hist. Amer. Revol. II. iv. 69 She [sc. Elizabeth I] established the Protestant Episcopal Church by an act of what was called an Irish parliament, in which the Celtic Irish had no part. 1872 S. Ferguson Congal Notes 201 Such legends and objects as still surround us, and continue to give to the Celtic and Cymric peasant his longer-lived superstitions. 1930 Cornishman 24 Apr. (Market ed.) 4/5 Mr Garstin had inherited the Celtic temperament, for his father was an Irishman, and his life was throughout adventurous and eventful. 1946 PMLA 61 259 He was successful in inducing the Pan-Celtic Congress to recognize Cornwall as one of the family of Celtic nations. 2000 Catholic Hist. Rev. 86 96 My own ancestry is at least three-quarters Celtic. b. Of or relating to the Celtic-speaking peoples of the British Isles in the early Middle Ages, as distinguished from the Germanic population of Anglo-Saxon England; relating to or characteristic of the culture, art, etc., of these peoples. Cf. sense A. 6.In early use largely a contextual use of sense A. 4a. ΚΠ 1839 T. Keightley Hist. Eng. (new ed.) I. 78 The bishops and abbots..sat nearest the king; beneath them were the vassal Celtic and Cymric princes, the ealdormen of shires, and the land-holders of the kingdom. 1852 T. Wright Celt, Roman, & Saxon xvi. 454 It is a remarkable circumstance connected with these Celtic kingdoms, that when we first become acquainted with them—about the time of St. Augustine—we find that Christianity was established among them. 1973 D. J. V. Fisher Anglo-Saxon Age xii. 277 It would have been understandable if the Celtic kings and princes of the west and north had reacted strongly against the increasing authority of the king of England. 1981 J. Backhouse Lindisfarne Gospels (1993) viii. 80 The style in which the figures are portrayed..is reminiscent of the Celtic rather than the Mediterranean strain in book decoration. 2018 Jrnl. Irish Archaeol. 27 84/1 The low percentage of Scandinavian objects—as compared to ‘Celtic’ artefacts—in the Manx Viking graves is worthy of note. 5. Designating or relating to a body of myth, legend, and folklore associated with Celtic-speaking areas (esp. in the British Isles), mostly recorded from the early medieval period or later, but often perceived as preserving stories or beliefs from the pre-Christian period or even earlier. ΚΠ 1786 J. Pinkerton Anc. Sc. Poems I. p. lx The carousal of Odin never appears in Celtic mythology, where the stern character of the Druids also influenced the people. 1818 Classical Jrnl. 18 57 The Bun..of Celtic legends, corresponds with Azyornka and Proserpine. 1869 J. S. S. Glennie Arthurian Localities 111 The topographical preservation in Scotland..of the traditions both of Fingal and of Arthur, and hence of tales belonging to both the great branches of Celtic Mythology. 1945 Folk-lore 56 295 Our investigation of magic weapons in Celtic legends illuminates one of the reasons..for the omission of detailed descriptions. 2017 Mediaevistik 30 355/1 The show drew heavily upon Celtic mythology for its characters (e.g., one major villain was called the Morrigan). 6. Designating or relating to a form of Christian practice considered to be distinctive to, or to originate in, a Celtic-speaking region or regions; esp. designating Christianity as practised in Celtic-speaking areas of the British Isles during the early Middle Ages, regarded as distinct from that introduced to Anglo-Saxon England from Rome in the late 6th cent.Sources such as Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica suggest that the form of Christianity which survived in the north and west of the British Isles differed in some respects from that introduced by the Augustinian mission, most notably in the method used to calculate Easter. However, many modern scholars do not accept the idea (once widely held) that these differences of practice reflect a significantly separate Christian tradition distinct from or opposed to the Roman Church. ΚΠ 1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. iii. xi. 475 The introduction of foreign scholars, by David I., when he reformed the Celtic church of Scotland, gave a new body, and an energetic soul, to the learning of his people. 1850 Daily News 4 Nov. 6/2 The Celtic Church, at the time of the mission of the monk Augustine, was in powerful antagonism to Rome and her corruptions. 1893 J. K. Hewison Isle of Bute I. x. 198 From the fragments of the Celtic Liturgy, we can gather it was a most solemn and beautiful service which first sounded in Kiblaan. 1929 Blackfriars Feb. 865 How severe, how self-denying, self-repressive, and austere Celtic monasticism was in spirit and aim is proved by the rule of St. Columbanus. 1973 D. J. V. Fisher Anglo-Saxon Age iii. 82 The divergent practices of the Celtic Church were the result not of opposition to Rome but of isolation from it. 2006 Folklore 117 309 Celtic Christianity is perceived as being intuitive and in tune with nature. 7. Designating a style or type of music traditional in and strongly associated with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and other Celtic-speaking areas. Also (in later use): designating music that is influenced by or incorporates elements of this style. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > folk music > [adjective] > other folk music Celtic1816 down home1907 old-time1908 mariachi1940 klezmer1961 rootsy1962 blue-eyed1965 sakkie-sakkie1970 old-timey1972 pseudo-folk1976 norteña1983 1816 S. Fraser Airs & Melodies Peculiar to Highlands App. 107/2 Sir John Sinclair was so kind as [to] transmit a copy of this Fingalian air to the Editor... In a work avowedly compiling the Celtic melodies..it will scarcely be deemed presumption to have inserted it. 1870 Bangor (Maine) Daily Whig & Courier 16 Nov. She beguiled her weary hours with Celtic ballads sung in the most heart-rending style. 1970 Melody Maker 5 Sept. His style was mellow, comforting, typically his own; a mixture of traditional Scottish ballads and his own brand of Celtic Rock. 2018 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz.-Mail (Nexis) 1 Mar. 6 d Playing loud, raucous Celtic punk has been good for the band. 8. Designating a style of ornamentation characterized particularly by complex interlacing patterns and the use of curvilinear motifs, including spirals and triskeles, considered typical of the art of Celtic peoples, esp. those of the British Isles in the early Middle Ages; resembling or evoking this style of decoration. Cf. Celtic knot n. at Compounds 1. ΚΠ ?1867 Illustr. London Almanack 1868 56/1 This Celtic knot-work was ever chased, engraved, enamelled and set with precious uncut jewels. 1927 Evening Tel. & Post (Dundee) 8 Mar. (Late extra ed.) 7/3 The Tassie is beautifully adorned with Celtic ornamentation. 1987 Irish Arts Rev. Spring 34/2 (caption) Jardinière with a band of Celtic interlace. 2006 Daily Post (Nexis) 15 Nov. (N. Wales ed.) 23 Unique oak tables decorated with Celtic patterns inlaid with slate. B. n. 1. A member of any of various ancient peoples inhabiting western Europe; a Celt. Cf. Celt n.¹ 1. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [noun] > person Celtic1596 Celt1701 Celtican1890 1596 E. Spenser View State Ireland (MS Lambeth) in Wks. (Grosart) IX. 71 All which Pompeius Mela, beinge himselfe a Spaniarde, yet saith to have descended from the Celtics of Fraunce. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. iii. iv. 55 The countie or jurisdiction Lucensis, compriseth sixteene towns (besides the Celtikes and Lebunians) of base condition. 1664 J. Howell Προεδρια-Βασιλικη 179 Which Celtiks were before the Greeks or Latins, a Peeple that dwelt where Paris in France now stands. 1750 S. Berington Diss. Mosaical Creation xii. 460 Whether the Ombri, or the Etruscans, or the Celtics, came very early from the Eastern Parts. 1835 A. Cregeen Dict. Manks Lang. 67/1 Mr. James Macpherson..when speaking of the ancient Celtics, says that it [sc. Flaunys] is from flath (noble or blessed) and innys (an island). 2019 Harvard Internat. Rev. 40 11/1 At least initially, all peoples were once relatively isolated and uncontacted. This goes for the Celtics, the Cherokees, the Xhosas, and the Hmong. 2. Originally: a language spoken by the ancient Celts or by any of various peoples considered to be related to them (see Celt n.¹ 1b and the note at that sense). Now: spec. the branch of the Indo-European language family comprising Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and several other languages currently or formerly spoken in the British Isles and parts of mainland Europe; (occasionally) an ancient language considered to have been the ancestor of this group.The Celtic languages are frequently divided into Insular Celtic (including Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton), and Continental Celtic, including ancient languages such as Gaulish and Celtiberian which are attested from inscriptions, place names, and references in classical authors as once having been spoken in parts of Western Europe; see also P-Celtic n., Q-Celtic n.Quot. 1658 could alternatively be interpreted as showing a use of the adjective modifying tongue. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Celtic Celtic1658 British Celtic1786 1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Pref. sig. b3^v About 11 several Tongues..spoken in Europe..; the chief whereof..are the Teutonick or Dutch, the Slavonian, the Cantabrian, the old Brittish or Celtick. 1699 M. Lister Journey to Paris (new ed.) 96 Greek and Latin too, came from the Celtique or Bas-breton; of which Country he is. 1708 G. Mackenzie Lives Writers Sc. Nation I. 386 Dun, which in the Celtic signifies a Hill. 1739 D. Malcolm (title) Collection of letters..in which the usefulness of the Celtic is instanced in illustrating the antiquities of the British Isles. 1887 W. Stokes in Trans. Philol. Soc. 1885–7 20 242 Both forms in Celtic are toneless proclitics. 1929 Studies Mar. 123 Despite the large number of Celtic speakers in Bretagne, Celtic is not studied much in Paris. 1953 E. H. Hahn Subjunctive & Optative 37 Celtic indubitably has an -ā- subjunctive allied to that of Italic. 2018 Ériu 68 44 What distinguishes Old Irish -glu from its thematic-stem British cognates is that another suffix has been added to it, namely -on-, which had an individualising or agentive force in Celtic. Compounds C1.* Compounds of the adjective. Celtic cross n. a cross having a ring encircling the intersection of the vertical and horizontal beams.This form of cross is particularly associated with early medieval monumental stone crosses found in Ireland and Britain. Cf. Irish cross n. (a) at Irish adj. and n. Compounds 3. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > cross > [noun] > other types of cross potencec1460 cross patonce1562 entrailed1562 Avellan1610 Greek cross1725 Latin cross1797 pendall?1828 spindle cross1828 Irish cross1832 cross patée1844 Celtic cross1857 Teutonic cross1882 1857 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 20 July The cup rests on six harps, which crown a beautiful shaft, richly decorated with the vine, wheat, and Celtic cross. 1969 C. Carfax Silence with Voices x. 67 All the tombstones had their backs to the water except one. This, a lichened Celtic cross, faced the others. 2002 Z. Radcliffe London Irish viii. 119 She..returned her attention to the half-carved Celtic cross that sat in her lap. Celtic fringe n. the Celtic areas of Britain and Ireland (see sense A. 4a), when regarded as peripheral to, and to some extent distinct from, the rest of the British Isles; the population of these areas, esp. considered in contradistinction to that of England; (also occasionally) the Celtic-speaking territory and peoples that lived along the western edges of the Roman Empire; cf. fringe n. 2b.Sometimes with depreciative overtones, esp. in early use. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [noun] Celtdom1841 Celtic fringe1885 the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > British Isles > [noun] > land of the Gaels Gaeldom1860 Celtic fringe1885 Gaeltacht1910 1885 Times 16 May 11/2 It will be admitted that in the declining days of this Parliament..the affairs of the ‘Celtic fringe’ of the United Kingdom have had their full share of notice. 1899 A. H. Keane Man Past & Pres. xiv. 523 What has been called the ‘Keltic fringe’, that is, the strips of territory on the skirts of the Teutonic and Neo-Latin domains in the extreme west—Brittany, Wales, parts of Ireland, the Scotch Highlands and the Isle of Man. 1910 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 Aug. 341/2 Dr. Maclean..belonged, like himself, to the Celtic fringe, without which the English were but an egg without salt. 1992 M. J. Green in G. Price Celtic Connection 27 By the Roman period, only a ‘Celtic fringe’ remained unromanized and, to a large extent, unconquered. 2000 Holiday & Leisure Spring 7/1 Plymouth is the gateway into Cornwall..and, as part of the Celtic fringe, in many ways considers itself as almost a separate country! Celtic harp n. a small harp of a type often used in Celtic folk music, traditionally having metal strings, a curved pillar and a large body (pillar n. 5b, body n. 6h); = clairschach n.Models made during and after the 19th cent. are typically lighter and have gut, or later nylon, strings.In quot. 1792, which alludes to Thomas Gray's 1757 poem The Bard, the Celtic harp symbolizes Wales. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > harp or lyre > [noun] > Celtic harp clairschach1490 Irish harp1599 Celtic harp1792 1792 N. in R. Polwhele Poems Gentlemen Devonshire & Cornwall I. 145 The Celtic harp was broke—Lewellyn fell. 1904 C. J. Herlihy Celt above Saxon vi. 144 The Celtic harp is the most ancient form of musical instrument now in existence; and we can judge of its perfection from the fact that after the lapse of centuries it still survives to the present day. 2004 Evening Standard (Nexis) 21 July 17 The 47-year-old is now a licensed regular at Green Park station, playing a Celtic harp. Celtic knot n. a type of ornamental knot; (also) a decorative motif representing such a knot, esp. one in which a cord forming a continuous loop crosses over and under itself in an elaborate pattern; cf. A. 8. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > interlaced fretc1385 friar knots1488 chainwork1551 knot1638 Gordian knotc1660 meander1706 entrelac1723 triquetra1845 knotwork1851 strapwork1854 Celtic knot1865 snake-knot1866 aligreek1867 plaitwork1871 honeycomb work1874 strap-ornament1895 honeycomb1924 the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > a bond, tie, or fastening > [noun] > knot > other knots water knot1496 draw knot1635 slip-knot1679 tie-knot1800 timber-hitch1815 thorough-put1829 fisherman's bendc1860 Celtic knot1865 lark's head1866 waterman's knot1866 packing knot1871 fisherman's knot1876 prusik knot1937 1865 Dublin Internat. Exhib. Arts & Manuf.: Official Catal. (ed. 2) 270 Fan—Modern Chinese;..string tied with Celtic knot. 1904 Athenæum 27 Aug. 280/2 The cross of St. Brynach, gloriously sculptured with Celtic knots and frets,..was gazed on with admiration. 2009 M. Rowen Hot Spell v. 69 She noticed he had a tattoo on his right shoulder blade—an intricate Celtic knot design in black ink. Celtic nard n. now historical an aromatic plant with pinkish-white flowers, Valeriana celtica (family Valerianaceae (or Caprifoliaceae)), native to parts of the Alps; (also) the root of this plant, used in perfumery and (formerly) in medicine; cf. nard Celtic n. at nard n. 3. [Compare earlier nard Celtic n. at nard n. 3 and the foreign-language forms cited at that entry; compare also the discussion in the main etymology.] ΚΠ 1649 N. Culpeper Physicall Directory 13 Celtick nard, according to Rondeletius wonderfully provokes urine. 1799 tr. Laboratory (ed. 6) I. xiv. 432 The following drugs, viz. liquorish, and celtic-nard. 1865 G. C. M. Birdwood Catal. Veg. Productions Bombay (ed. 2) 47 Celtic Nard is exported largely from Austria to Turkey and Egypt for scenting baths. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XXV. 668/1 Celtic nard, obtained from the Ligurian Alps and Istria, consisted of the roots of plants also belonging to the valerian order. 2000 A. Dalby Dangerous Tastes 87 Medical writers tell us..of ‘Celtic nard’ which was the Alpine plant Valeriana celtica, and others too. Celtic Revival n. (also with lower-case initial in second element) (usually with the) any of various movements promoting or characterized by a resurgence of interest in Celtic languages, literature, art, mythology, etc.; spec. such a movement which occurred in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Cf. Gaelic revival n. Irish Revival n. ΚΠ 1869 J. S. S. Glennie Arthurian Localities iv. 100 Let us..think rather of MacPherson..as the original genius from whom is to be dated that Celtic Revival which has already influenced..the literature of Europe. 1872 Shamrock 2 Mar. 327/2 The late production of all the old Irish manuscripts and the Celtic revival in general have reminded the Scots of the old literary fame of Ireland. 1914 Mod. Philol. 11 574 In..1781, John Pinkerton published his volume of Rimes, conspicuous in the Celtic revival for the beautiful poems about Ossian. 2012 J. J. Ross Shakespeare's Tremor & Orwell's Cough vii. 150 He [sc. Yeats] is heavily identified with the Celtic Revival, which drew on the themes and subject matter of traditional Irish literature. Celtic studies n. the study of Celtic languages, culture, history, etc., esp. as an academic subject or course. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > study > subject or object of study > [noun] > specific subjects modern languages1605 English1713 Celtic studies1781 religious studies1824 Eng. Lit.1834 polytechnics1850 business administration1852 Eng. Lang.1857 business studies1880 historiography1889 academic1898 peace studies1903 religious education1914 Asian studies1941 religious instruction1960 religious knowledge1961 black studies1968 media studies1968 gender studies1973 1781 J. Foulis Let. 1 Nov. in Edinb. Mag. (1801) Oct. 253/2 Nor will I say a word to you about my surprising progress in Celtic studies. 1901 Gael (N.Y.) Oct. 297/1 It may be said without exaggeration and without fear of contradiction, that at no time have Celtic studies been in a more flourishing condition than they are at the present moment. 2007 Seanchas Ardmhacha 21 434 While Dermot was very intelligent and well-read—he had a first class honours degree in Celtic Studies from the National University of Ireland—he wore his learning lightly. Celtic Tiger n. (also with lower-case initials) the Irish economy (or Ireland itself) during a period of rapid growth in the 1990s and early 2000s (cf. tiger n. Additions); (now also) the period during which this economic growth took place. ΚΠ 1994 Irish Times 2 Sept. (Business section) 2/2 The Irish stock market..‘has some of the most exciting prospects of all’... The economy is tentatively dubbed a ‘celtic tiger’. 1998 World in 1998 (Economist Publ.) 46/1 This impressive growth, combined with a large current-account surplus, low inflation, a healthy budget and stable industrial relations, have earned Ireland the nick-name ‘Celtic tiger’. 2002 Foreign Policy Jan. 44/1 In the past two years, the Celtic Tiger has really begun to roar. 2003 Sun (Nexis) 21 Apr. During the Celtic Tiger, tax breaks benefited the wealthiest. 2019 Studies 108 56 The roller-coaster of the economic boom of the Celtic Tiger years and the rise in immigration followed by the downturn of the last decade. Celtic twilight n. (also with upper-case initials) a romantic, mystical atmosphere or style attributed to or associated with the Celtic mythology, legend, and folklore of the British Isles, esp. Ireland, or with works inspired by this; the artistic and literary works of the Celtic Revival (Celtic Revival n.) considered as typifying this style.Frequently with disparaging implication.Originally and chiefly used allusively with reference to the title of W. B. Yeats's 1893 collection of stories based on Irish folklore. ΚΠ 1893 W. B. Yeats (title) The Celtic twilight.] 1923 A. Huxley On Margin 30 If Mr. Yeats understood the Einstein theory..he too could give us, out of the Celtic twilight, his lyrics of relativity. 1936 R. Lehmann Weather in Streets iv. ii. 398 The mixture of Celtic twilight and Aubrey Beardsley decor which..enshrouded her. 1977 S. Heaney Preoccupations (1984) 135 It has long been fashionable to smile indulgently at the Celtic Twilight. 2009 Canad. Jrnl. Irish Stud. 35 ii. 31/2 Lest his readers think he is a latter-day Revivalist, he mocks Yeats's romanticism and bogus anthropological assertions concerning the peasantry in a parody of Celtic Twilight prose. C2. Compounds of the noun (in sense B. 2). Celtic speaker n. ΚΠ 1863 H. M‘Manus Sketches Irish Highlands ii. 56 All Celtic speakers know, that the original possesses a force and pathos of which this translation is only the shadow. 2017 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 116 47 Until recently, discussion..has centered on whether or not the hypothetical Celtic speaker was a Welshman, Breton, or Cornishman. Celtic-speaking adj. ΚΠ 1843 Spectator Oct. 28 1022/2 The Celtic-speaking population of Ireland are no more a pure Celtic race than the English-speaking population..can be considered a pure Saxon race. 2016 Chaucer Rev. 51 274 The western Celtic-speaking areas known as Haute-Bretagne. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2022; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.n.?1530
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