# ceilidh

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkeɪli/ · frequency rank #73,050

## Definitions
1. An informal social gathering, especially one where traditional Irish or Scottish folk music is played, with dancing and storytelling.
2. Ellipsis of ceilidh dance.

## Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cèilidh (“a pilgrimage; a social call, visit; a sojourn; a social gathering with dancing, etc., ceilidh”) and Irish célidhe (archaic), céilí (“a social call, visit; a social gathering with dancing, etc., ceilidh”), both from Old Irish célide (“social call, visit”), from céile (“companion, fellow; neighbour”) (ultimately from Proto-Celtic *kēiliyos (“companion; servant”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“to settle”)) + -ide.
The plural form ceilidhean is borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cèilidhean.
The verb is derived from the noun.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ceilidh