Celtic

American  

[kel-tik, sel-] / ˈkɛl tɪk, ˈsɛl- /

Also Keltic

noun

• Celtics
  plural

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, including especially Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton, which survive now in Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, Wales, and Brittany. Celt, Celt.

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adjective

1. of the Celts or their languages.

Celtic British  

/ ˈkɛltɪk, ˈsɛl-, ˈsɛl- /

noun

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages that includes Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton, still spoken in parts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Brittany. Modern Celtic is divided into the Brythonic (southern) and Goidelic (northern) groups

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Celts or the Celtic languages

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Celticism
  noun
• Celticist
  noun
• non-Celtic
  adjective
• pre-Celtic
  adjective
• Celtically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Celtics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Celtic

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin Celticus, equivalent to Celt(ae) “the Celts” + -icus adjective suffix; see origin at Celt, -ic ( def. 1 )

Compare meaning

How does celtic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Gaelic vs. Celtic

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Celtic Celtics

A wildlife cinematographer and shark guide has spoken about the unexpected surprise and joy of seeing a humpback whale in the Celtic Deep just off the Welsh coast.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

The Arsenal legend was in the sunset of his career when he signed for Celtic in 1999.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

When I opened it, I could see it was a Celtic top but then very quickly I saw the white letters of Wright.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

"As much as I'm a Celtic fan my first footballing hero was Ian Wright," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Mr. Levy looked hopelessly at the rotting Celtic cross in the front yard.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

His previous NBA experience includes stints with the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Lakers have won 17 NBA championships, second only to the Boston Celtics.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

However, the lack of detail in the league's eligibility criteria has been brought to light by Kanter Freedom, who finished his playing career with the Boston Celtics in 2022.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown, and Victor Wembanyama signed an extension for $50 million less than a supermax to keep his team intact.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Last night I watched the Celtics game with Dad on TV.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy