Etymograph

English

ceili

Ceili comes from Irish céilí ‘Irish dancing session’, from Old Irish céilide ‘visit’, and ultimately from Proto-Celtic *keiliyos ‘companion’.

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*keiliyos1‘companion’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Primitive Irishmodernᚉᚓᚂᚔ1‘follower, devotee’
  3. Old Irishc. 600–900céile2as céle‘companion’
  4. Old Irishc. 600–900céilide2‘visit’
  5. Irishc. 1200–presentcéilí3‘Irish dancing session’
  6. Englishtodayceili3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old Irish céile
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Irish céilí
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English ceili

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*keiliyosWiktionary, Old Irish céile‘companion’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Primitive IrishmodernᚉᚓᚂᚔWiktionary, Old Irish céile‘follower, devotee’
  3. Old Irishc. 600–900céileWiktionary, Irish céilías céle‘companion’
  4. Old Irishc. 600–900céilideWiktionary, Irish céilí‘visit’
  5. Irishc. 1200–presentcéilíWiktionary, English ceili‘Irish dancing session’
  6. EnglishtodayceiliWiktionary, English ceili

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ‘to settle’

home, city, civil, hide, civic, cemetery, coma, haunt, citadel, civitas, hame, 33 more

Today it means

noun A social event with traditional Irish or Scottish music and dancing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ceili”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Old Irish céile, Irish céilí. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *keiliyos / ceili

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