celestial
See also: Celestial and Célestial
English
Alternative forms
- cælestial (archaic), cælestiall (obsolete), celestiall (obsolete), cœlestial (archaic, nonstandard)
- Celestial (native of China)
Etymology
From Middle English celestial, from Old French celestial, from Medieval Latin caelestialis, from Latin caelestis, from caelum (“sky, heaven”).
The senses related to East Asia come from Celestial Empire, a formerly used name for China.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /səˈlɛs.t͡ʃəl/, /səˈlɛs.ti.əl/
Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: ce‧les‧tial
Adjective
celestial (not comparable)
- Synonym of heavenly: of or related to Heaven and the divine.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
- Thus ſhall my heart be ſtil combinde with thine,
Untill our bodies turne to Elements:
And both our ſoules aſpire celeſtiall thrones.
- 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], H[enry] Lawes, editor, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, OCLC 228715864; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, OCLC 1113942837:
- But far above, in spangled sheen,
Celestial Cupid her famed son advanced
-
- Relating to the sky or outer space, regarded as the realm of the sun, moon, planets, and stars.
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:
- The twelve celestial signs.
- (Mormonism) Of or pertaining to the highest degree of glory.
- 1974 February, “A Sure Trumpet Sound: Quotations from President Lee”, in Ensign, page 77:
- We are now living and obeying celestial laws that will make us candidates for celestial glory.
- 1997 November, Richard J. Maynes, “A Celestial Connection to Your Teenage Years”, in Ensign, page 30:
- How will you make it through your teenage years spiritually prepared for your celestial future? How will you connect your celestial goals with your everyday life?
-
Synonyms
- (Relating to the sky): heavenly; celest (obsolete)
Derived terms
- celestial blue
- celestial body
- Celestial Empire
- celestial equator
- celestial globe
- celestial guidance
- celestial horizon
- celestial latitude
- celestial longitude
- celestial mechanics
- celestial navigation
- celestial object
- celestial peace
- celestial pole
- celestial sphere
- celestial stem
- celestial teapot
- celestial transfer
- supercelestial
Translations
relating to heaven (religious)
|
relating to sky
|
of or pertaining to the highest degree of glory.
|
Noun
celestial (plural celestials)
- An inhabitant of heaven.
- 1913, Horace Coffin Stanton, Telepathy of the Celestial World, page x:
- For the celestials communicate by the psychic dispatch. Scriptures prove that.
-
- (obsolete, sometimes capitalized) A native of China.
- 1897, Joseph Llewelyn Thomas, “The North Pacific”, in Journeys Among the Gentle Japs in the Summer of 1895, page 23:
- Three celestials died during the voyage, and, in accordance with the contract, their remains were embalmed and carried on to China.
-
- (obsolete, slang) by extension, an East Asian person.
References
- celestial in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- “celestial”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, →ISBN.
- Kingdoms of Glory on LDS.org.
Anagrams
- cistellae
Galician
Etymology
From Old Portuguese celestial, borrowed from Medieval Latin caelestiālis (“celestial”), from Latin caelestis (“celestial”), from caelum (“sky”).
Adjective
celestial m or f (plural celestiais)
- celestial
Related terms
- ceo
Old Occitan
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin caelestialis, from Latin caelestis.
Adjective
celestial m or f (plural celestials)
- celestial
Related terms
- cel
Portuguese
Etymology
From Old Portuguese celestial, borrowed from Medieval Latin caelestiālis (“celestial”), from Latin caelestis (“celestial”), from caelum (“sky”).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /se.les.t͡ʃiˈaw/ [se.les.t͡ʃɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /se.lesˈt͡ʃjaw/ [se.lesˈt͡ʃjaʊ̯]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /se.leʃ.t͡ʃiˈaw/ [se.leʃ.t͡ʃɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /se.leʃˈt͡ʃjaw/ [se.leʃˈt͡ʃjaʊ̯]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /sɨ.lɨʃˈtjal/ [sɨ.lɨʃˈtjaɫ]
- Hyphenation: ce‧les‧ti‧al
Adjective
celestial m or f (plural celestiais)
- (religion) heavenly (relating to heaven)
- Synonym: celeste
Coordinate terms
- (heavenly): infernal, terreno
Related terms
- celeste
- céu
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin caelestialis, from Latin caelestis, based on caelum (“sky, heaven”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Spain) /θelesˈtjal/ [θe.lesˈt̪jal]
- IPA(key): (Latin America) /selesˈtjal/ [se.lesˈt̪jal]
- Rhymes: -al
- Syllabification: ce‧les‧tial
Adjective
celestial (plural celestiales)
- celestial
Derived terms
- celestialmente
Related terms
- celeste
- cielo
Further reading
- “celestial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014