Gaelic

See also: gaèlic

English

Alternative forms

• Galic (obsolete)

Etymology

From Gael +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡælɪk/ (when referring to Scottish Gaelic)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪlɪk/ (when referring to Irish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈɡalɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪlɪk/ (for all senses)
• Rhymes: -eɪlɪk, -ælɪk

Proper noun

Gaelic

1. Goidelic; any Goidelic language.
   • 2020, N. K. Jemisin, The City We Became, Orbit, page 342:

     She taught herself some Gaelic as a child. It’s hard to pronounce, and with no other Gaelic speakers around that she could practice on, she’s forgotten nearly all of what she learned.

   1. Irish Gaelic.
   2. Manx Gaelic.
   3. Scottish Gaelic.

Usage notes

When used without any modifier, Gaelic refers most often to Scottish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic are more commonly called simply Irish and Manx.

Translations

Goidelic — see Goidelic

any Goidelic language

• Faroese: gæliskt n
• Italian: lingua (it) gaelica f
• Japanese: ゲール語 (gēru-go)
• Russian: гэльский (ru) m (gɛlʹskij)
• Spanish: gaélico (es) m

Scottish Gaelic — see Scottish Gaelic

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} gaeliska (sv) c, ^{(please verify)} gäliska (sv) c

Adjective

Gaelic (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to the Gaels, the Goidel peoples of Scotland, Ireland, and the Manx, or their languages.

Derived terms

• Gaelic football
• Gaelic handball

Translations

relating to the Gaels or their language

• Breton: gouezel (br)
• Catalan: goidèlic, gaèlic
• Czech: gaelský
• Danish: gælisk
• Dutch: Gaelisch (nl)
• Esperanto: gaela
• Faroese: gæliskur
• Galician: gaélico (gl) m
• Greek: γαελικός (gaelikós)
• Hungarian: gael
• Irish: Gaelach
• Italian: gaelico m
• Japanese: ゲール族 (gēru-zoku) (people), ゲール語 (gēru-go) (language)
• Macedonian: гелски m (gelski)
• Polish: gaelicki
• Portuguese: gaélico (pt) m, gaélica f
• Russian: гэльский (ru) m (gɛlʹskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: Gàidhealach
• Spanish: gaélico (es)
• Swedish: gaelisk (sv), gälisk (sv)
• Tagalog: Gaeliko

Noun

Gaelic (uncountable)

1. Short for Gaelic football.
   • 1995, John Sugden; Alan Bairner, Sport, Sectarianism and Society, page 42:

     Undoubtedly, the main reasons why many gifted young Irish sportsmen such as Niall Quinn, Kevin Moran and Frank Stapleton opted to play soccer instead of Gaelic is^[sic] that soccer afforded them the opportunity to display and test their abilities in an international arena and earn a good living.

Further reading

• Ethnologue file on the Gaelic languages
• Gaelic.com Dictionary