ceili

C3E1I1L1I1
[keɪli]

noun

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

OriginIrish céilí ← Scottish Gaelic ceilidh →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounceili (plural ceilis)

plural ceilis

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

Origin

  1. Scottish Gaelicceilidh
  2. Irishcéilí“Irish dancing session”
  3. Englishceili

Borrowed from Irish céilí (“Irish dancing session”), Scottish Gaelic ceilidh.

More words from Irish, Scottish Gaelic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ceili. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceili

MLA

“ceili.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceili. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ceili,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceili.

Source: ceili on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.