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celebratus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word celebratus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (celebro)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin celebro
Latin celebratus
English celebrate

Forms

celebrātus (feminine celebrāta, neuter celebrātum); comparative celebrātior, superlative celebrātissimus; first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is the participle from Latin celebrō (“to throng; to celebrate; to make known”), used as an adjective.[1][2] De Vaan thinks celebrō was back-formed from concelebrō, itself made from celeber (“crowded, frequented”), whose etymology he calls unknown; a link with calō1 (“to call out”), suggested by Bader, is possible.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds it first in Cicero,[4] who in the Pro Flacco asks what is so worn and common in Greek speech as a certain saying.[1]

Semantic evolution

Its first senses follow the verb: thronged or crowded, as Sallust's market that was the busiest in the kingdom, and marked by crowds or festivities, as Livy's popular thanksgiving.[1] It then means famous or distinguished, as Sallust's rock that the neighbours call by the name of the famous Scylla and Pliny the Elder's celebrated authors.[1] Widely known and talked about, it is used by Cicero of matters on everyone's lips, and Gellius says one word is commoner than another.[1] Quintilian and Tacitus use it of what is popular or esteemed.[1]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero, of a common saying.[1][4]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust, of a crowded market and a famous name.[1][4]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy, of a festive thanksgiving.[1][4]
  • c. 165 AD – Gellius, of a word in common use.[1][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Thronged, crowded.[1]
  2. Marked by crowds or festivities.[1]
  3. Celebrated, famous, distinguished.[1][2]
  4. Widely known, current, common; much talked about; popular, esteemed.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Celebratus.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/celebratus. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·