Showing results for Shelta. Search instead for sheltas.

Shelta

American

[shel-tuh] / ˈʃɛl tə /

noun

a private language, based in part on Irish, used among Travelers in the British Isles.

Shelta British

/ ˈʃɛltə /

noun

a secret language used by some itinerant tinkers in Ireland and parts of Britain, based on systematically altered Gaelic

"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

Etymology

Origin of Shelta

First recorded in 1875–80; origin uncertain

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