celts
celts Lexical Profile
celts Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(Capitalized as 'Celts') Members of an Indo-European group of peoples who inhabited much of western and central Europe in antiquity, or modern speakers and descendants of the Celtic cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany.
"Ancient Roman historians documented extensive trade networks established by the Celts across western Europe."
Prehistoric stone or metal implements with bevelled cutting edges, shaped like axe or adze blades and used for chopping or woodworking during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
"Archaeologists excavating the burial mound uncovered several polished stone celts alongside pottery fragments."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized as 'Celts' (typically pronounced /kɛlts/, or /sɛlts/ in sports contexts), the word refers to the Indo-European peoples of western Europe. When lowercase as 'celts' (pronounced /sɛlts/), it is an archaeological term for prehistoric stone or metal axe blades, derived from a wholly separate Latin root.
• Rhymes for celts
Word Origin & Etymology
The ethnonym 'Celt' comes via French and Latin 'Celtae' from Ancient Greek 'Keltoi', the name given by Greek geographers to tribes in central and western Europe. The archaeological noun 'celt' derives from Late Latin 'celtes' (chisel), originating as a scribal misreading in manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate Bible.