Helvetii

American  

[hel-vee-shee-ahy] / hɛlˈvi ʃiˌaɪ /

plural noun

1. the ancient Celtic inhabitants of Helvetia in the time of Julius Caesar.

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Helvetii British  

/ hɛlˈviːʃɪˌaɪ /

plural noun

1. a Celtic tribe from SW Germany who settled in Helvetia from about 200 _bc

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Etymology

Origin of Helvetii

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1890–95

Example Sentences

When those formidable Helvetii marched out of their Alpine cantons to occupy Gallic lowlands in 58 BC, Caesar deployed geopolitics to defeat them -- seizing strategic terrain, controlling their grain supplies, and manipulating rival tribes.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2018

His success in dealing with the Helvetii turned the eyes of all Gaul upon the conqueror.

From A Treasury of Heroes and Heroines A Record of High Endeavour and Strange Adventure from 500 B.C. to 1920 A.D. by Edwards, Clayton

But Cicero's banishment damped the ardor of these gentlemen; after a few vicious efforts, they subsided into sullenness, and trusted to Ariovistus or the Helvetii to relieve them of their detested enemy.

From Caesar: a Sketch by Froude, James Anthony

Yet this resolution was taken and actually pursued by the entire nation of the Helvetii, as it is minutely related by Cæsar.

From The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 07 (of 12) by Burke, Edmund

After his death, the Helvetii nevertheless attempted the exodus from their territories.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 11 — Ancient and Mediæval History by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir