ceilidh

/ˈkeɪli/

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cèilidh (“a pilgrimage; a social call, visit; a sojourn; a social gathering with dancing, etc., ceilidh”) and Irish célidhe (archaic), céilí (“a social call, visit; a social gathering with dancing, etc., ceilidh”), both from Old Irish célide (“social call, visit”), from céile (“companion, fellow; neighbour”) (ultimately from Proto-Celtic *kēiliyos (“companion; servant”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“to settle”)) + -ide. The plural form ceilidhean is borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cèilidhean. The verb is derived from the noun.

Why this word is great

CEILIDH — [Noun] An informal social gathering featuring traditional Irish or Scottish folk music, dancing, and storytelling. From Scottish Gaelic cèilidh and Irish céilí, both meaning 'a social visit or gathering,' derived from Old Irish célide ('social call'), from céile ('companion'), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *kēiliyos ('companion') and possibly Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ('to settle'). Unlike 'hoedown' (which evokes the raucous energy of American square dancing) or 'soirée' (which conjures champagne flutes and murmured conversation), a ceilidh is a living thread of Celtic tradition—communal, unpretentious, alive. It is the scrape of fiddles tuning in a low-ceilinged hall, the thunder of boots stamping out a reel, the hush that falls when an elder begins a tale in the old tongue—a fleeting defiance against the erosion of time.

noun

  1. An informal social gathering, especially one where traditional Irish or Scottish folk music is played, with dancing and storytelling.“The fire in the centre of the room was almost a necessity of the good old Ceilidh days. When the people congregated in the evening, the circle could be extended to the full capacity of the room, and occasionally it became necessary to have a circle within a circle. […] The circle became extended by merely pushing back the seats, and this arrangement became absolutely necessary in the houses which ”

verb

  1. To attend a ceilidh (noun sense 1).“Captain Mac was certainly making the most of his enforced stay at safe anchorage. He had told Fergus he would ceilidh the night away with the help of Tam McKinnon's home-brewed malt whisky. From the sound of it one half of the ceilidh was on board ship, the other half no doubt in Tam McKinnon's cottage.”
  2. To dance a ceilidh dance.“Nightly the scratch of fiddles and the thud of a reel-set staccatoed the timbers [of the ship sailing from Londonderry to Boston], as the peasant Irish ceilidhed their way to 'Amerikay'.”