Beltane
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Beltane
1375–1425; late Middle English ( Scots ) < Scots Gaelic bealltainn, Old Irish bel ( l ) taine, perhaps equivalent to *bel- an obscure element, perhaps the name of a supernatural person + tene fire
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She crosses the video game’s Scottish Highlands on her journey to the coast in time for the Gaelic May Day festival Beltane, where her uncle, a lighthouse keeper, is waiting.
From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2023
If you have any witchy or Wiccan friends, come late April, you'll likely see their tributes to Beltane popping up in your social media feeds.
From Salon • May 2, 2022
Beltane traditionally kicks off at sunset on April 30 and continues through the night into May 1, a day traditionally seen as the beginning of summer.
From Salon • May 2, 2022
A leathery dominatrix holding hands with a unicorn wished me, using the customary parlance, a happy Beltane.
From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2015
The date of the Charter is 1621, but it is evident that the third of May had been previously kept as Beltane day.
From Folk Lore Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within This Century by Napier, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
