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Glite Dictionary
ceilidh

ceilidh

1 9.9
A lively social event with Scottish or Irish folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling
  • noun
  • /ˈkeɪli/
  • UK
translation icon : ceilidh
  • At the ceilidh, everyone joined together to dance and enjoy the lively music.

Examples

  • Listen, we're having a ceilidh tomorrow, after Mac and I have tidied up some work.

    Local Hero (1983)

  • May I be allowed to say that you were the best dancers at the ceilidh.

    I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)

  • It's going to be a grand ceilidh, just grand.

    I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)

  • See you at the ceilidh, then.

    Local Hero (1983)

  • And the big ceilidh on Saturday night, the big dance, is just huge.

    Blog text (23)

  • He's giving a ceilidh.

    I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)

  • The community organized a ceilidh where people shared stories and traditional songs.

  • During the ceilidh, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and energetic dancing.

Synonyms

hoedown
vsceilidh
  • US
14 6.2

A lively country party with folk music and dancing

is tied to Scottish or Irish traditions and includes storytelling rather than Western style
hootenanny
vsceilidh
  • Archaic
3 9.7

A casual party where people sing folk songs and sometimes dance

is rooted in Scottish or Irish tradition and often adds storytelling

How Lively

festival
178 1.0
party
∞ 1.0
ceilidh
  • UK
1 9.9
get-together
  • Informal
46 1.9
meeting
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

ceilidh singular
ceilidhs plural

Etymology

Ceilidh comes from the Scottish Gaelic word céilidh, which means 'visit' or 'gathering'. A helpful image is people visiting each other to share music, dance and stories, so a ceilidh today is still a lively social party with folk music and dancing.