Κελτός

Ancient Greek

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Celts

Wikipedia

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

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. [email protected]

       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 rouse up against the Hellenes barbarian sword and Celtic war.

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

Inflection

Related terms

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

Descendants

• → Latin: Celtus
  • → English: Celt

From Κέλται m pl (Kéltai)

• Greek: Κέλτες (Kéltes)

See also

• Κέλτρος m (Kéltros)

References

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, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,014