Gaelic

American

[gey-lik, gol-ik] / ˈgeɪ lɪk, ˈgɒl ɪk /

noun

a Celtic language that includes the speech of ancient Ireland and the dialects that have developed from it, especially those usually known as Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic: Gaelic constitutes the Goidelic subbranch of Celtic.

adjective

of or in Gaelic.
of or relating to the Gaels or their language.

Gaelic British

/ ˈɡæl-, ˈɡeɪlɪk /

noun

any of the closely related languages of the Celts in Ireland, Scotland, or (formerly) the Isle of Man Compare Goidelic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

of, denoting, or relating to the Celtic people of Ireland, Scotland, or the Isle of Man or their language or customs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Gaelics

plural

Etymology

Origin of Gaelic

First recorded in 1590–1600; Gael + -ic (representing Scots Gaelic Gaidhlig, derivative of Gaidheal Gael )

Compare meaning

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

Gaelic vs. Celtic

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.

See Examples For:

Gaelic Gaelics

There are 18,552 people in the Highland Council area with Gaelic skills, according to the latest census data.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Gaelic and Scots were recognised as official languages as part of a range of new measures that came into force on St Andrew's Day last November.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

He has listed his high school in Hawaii as beneficiary on two of his brokerage accounts, so he’s certainly got a “grá” — that’s Gaelic for deep affection — for charitable endeavors.

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

He had a decision to make - Dorrian said "everyone was wanting a piece of him" and he was "under a lot of pressure" to select Gaelic football - which is an amateur sport.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

His knights were to fight, not against gallowglasses, but against the knights of the Gaelic Confederation.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

"My mother Gaelics like the Scotch," he said.

From The Cursed Patois From "Mackinac And Lake Stories", 1899 by Mary Hartwell Catherwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023