Κελτός

See also: Κέλτος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Hellenistic singular number of the Ancient Greek ethnonym Κελτοί m pl (Keltoí). Later form, Κέλται (Kéltai), from Latin Celtae. Probably derived from Proto-Celtic *kel-to (“to strike; to fight”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kel.tós/ → /celˈtos/ → /celˈtos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kel.tós/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kelˈtos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /celˈtos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /celˈtos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /celˈtos/

Noun

Κελτός • (Keltós) m (genitive Κελτοῦ); second declension

1. a Celt
   • 125 CE – 200 CE, Lucian, Heracles :Ἡρακλῆς, 4 @el.wikisource

     Ταῦτ᾽ ἐγὼ μὲν ἐπὶ πολὺ εἱστήκειν ὁρῶν καὶ θαυμάζων καὶ ἀπορῶν καὶ ἀγανακτῶν Κελτὸς δὲ τις παρεστὼς οὐκ ἀπαίδευτος τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὡς ἔδειξεν ἀκριβῶς Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν ἀφιείς, φιλόσοφος, οἶμαι, τὰ ἐπιχώρια, Ἐγὼ σοι, ἔφη, ὦ ξένε, λύσω τῆς γραφῆς τὸ αἴνιγμα: πάνυ γὰρ ταραττομένῳ ἔοικας πρὸς αὐτήν. τὸν λόγον ἡμεῖς οἱ Κελτοὶ οὐχ ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς οἱ Ἕλληνες Ἑρμῆν οἰόμεθα εἶναι, ἀλλ᾽ Ἡρακλεῖ αὐτὸν εἰκάζομεν, ὅτι παρὰ πολὺ τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἰσχυρότερος οὗτος. Εἰ δὲ γέρων πεποίηται, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· μόνος γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἐν γήρᾳ, φιλεῖ ἐντελῆ ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὴν ἀκμήν, εἲ γε ἀληθῆ ὑμῶν οἱ ποιηταὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι αἱ μὲν τῶν ὁπλοτέρων φρένες ἠερέθονται, τὸ δὲ γῆρας ἔχει; τι λέξαι: τῶν νέων σοφώτερον.

     Taût᾽ egṑ mèn epì polù heistḗkein horôn kaì thaumázōn kaì aporôn kaì aganaktôn Keltòs dè tis parestṑs ouk apaídeutos tà hēmétera, hōs édeixen akribôs Helláda phōnḕn aphieís, philósophos, oîmai, tà epikhṓria, Egṑ soi, éphē, ô xéne, lúsō tês graphês tò aínigma: pánu gàr tarattoménōi éoikas pròs autḗn. tòn lógon hēmeîs hoi Keltoì oukh hṓsper humeîs hoi Héllēnes Hermên oiómetha eînai, all᾽ Hērakleî autòn eikázomen, hóti parà polù toû Hermoû iskhuróteros hoûtos. Ei dè gérōn pepoíētai, mḕ thaumásēis; mónos gàr ho lógos en gḗrāi, phileî entelê epideíknusthai tḕn akmḗn, eì ge alēthê humôn hoi poiētaì légousin, hóti hai mèn tôn hoplotérōn phrénes ēeréthontai, tò dè gêras ékhei? ti léxai: tôn néōn sophṓteron.

     • Translation by Fowler, H. W. and F G. The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905. Hercules.4@lucianofsamosata.info

       For a long time I stood staring at this in amazement: I knew not what to make of it, and was beginning to feel somewhat nettled, when I was addressed in admirable Greek by a Gaul who stood at my side, and who besides possessing a scholarly acquaintance with the Gallic mythology, proved to be not unfamiliar with our own. ‘Sir,’ he said, ‘I see this picture puzzles you: let me solve the riddle. We Gauls connect eloquence not with Hermes, as you do, but with the mightier Heracles. Nor need it surprise you to see him represented as an old man. It is the prerogative of eloquence, that it reaches perfection in old age; at least if we may believe your poets, who tell us that Youth is the sport of every random gust, whereas old age Hath that to say that passes youthful wit.

     Discussion about the Celtic name Ὄγμιος (Ógmios) for the Greek Ἡρακλῆς (Hēraklês, “Hercules”).

2. (poetic adjective) Celtic, synonym of Κελτικός (Keltikós)
   • 310 BCE – 240 BCE, Callimachus :εἰς Δῆλον (Del. (H.IV) Hymn to Delus) @perseus.tufts.edu. Poetic adjective.

     ὁππότ᾽ ἂν οἱ μὲν ἐφ᾽ Ἑλλήνεσσι μάχαιραν
     βαρβαρικὴν Κελτὸν ἀναστήσαντες Ἄρηα

     hoppót᾽ àn hoi mèn eph᾽ Hellḗnessi mákhairan
     barbarikḕn Keltòn anastḗsantes Árēa

     when [the Titans of a later day shall] rouse up against the Hellenes barbarian sword and Celtic war.

     English translation by A. W. Mair @theoi.com

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ Κελτός; τοῦ Κελτοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Κελτός ho Keltós	τὼ Κελτώ tṑ Keltṓ	οἱ Κελτοί hoi Keltoí
Genitive	τοῦ Κελτοῦ toû Keltoû	τοῖν Κελτοῖν toîn Keltoîn	τῶν Κελτῶν tôn Keltôn
Dative	τῷ Κελτῷ tôi Keltôi	τοῖν Κελτοῖν toîn Keltoîn	τοῖς Κελτοῖς toîs Keltoîs
Accusative	τὸν Κελτόν tòn Keltón	τὼ Κελτώ tṑ Keltṓ	τοὺς Κελτούς toùs Keltoús
Vocative	Κελτέ Kelté	Κελτώ Keltṓ	Κελτοί Keltoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

Of Κελτοί m pl (Keltoí) / Κέλται (Kéltai)

• Κελτίβηρες m pl (Keltíbēres)
• Κελτικός (Keltikós)
• Κελτίς f (Keltís)
• Κελτιστί (Keltistí, adverb)
• Κελτολίγυες m pl (Keltolígues)
• Κελτοσκύθαι m pl (Keltoskúthai)

 

Descendants

• → Latin: Celtus
  • → English: Celt

From Κέλται m pl (Kéltai)

• Greek: Κέλτες (Kéltes)

See also

• Κέλτρος m (Kéltros)

Further reading

• “Κελτοί”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Κελτός in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,014