# Celt

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɛlt/ · frequency rank #65,771

## Definitions
1. A member of one of the ancient peoples of Western Europe called Celtae by the Romans.
2. A member of any of the (modern, Celtic) peoples who speak Celtic languages.

## Etymology
From Latin Celtae (singular Celta) from Ancient Greek Κελτοί (Keltoí).
English Celts is from the 17th century. Until the mid 19th century, /sɛlt/ is the only recorded pronunciation. A consciously archaizing pronunciation /kɛlt/ was advocated during Irish and Welsh nationalism beginning in the 1850s.

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