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celebritas

Etymology and origin of the Latin word celebritas

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (celeber)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [kɛˈɫɛ.brɪ.taːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [t͡ʃeˈlɛː.bri.tas], [kɛˈɫɛb.rɪ.taːs][1]

Forms

celebritās f (genitive celebritātis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from celeber “crowded, famous” with the suffix -tās.[2][1][3] Isidore says a festival is called ⟨celebritās⟩ because heavenly, not earthly things are done there.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero, of crowded conditions and of fame.[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant the state of being busy or crowded, as Cicero's propinquitās et celebritās locī “the nearness and busyness of the place”, and crowding at games and festivals.[2][5] From Cicero it meant renown, fame, and in Tacitus frequency, commonness.[2] The TLL notes it is a prose word.[6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant a feast, celebration.[7] Medieval Latin used it of the celebration of divine service and of a feast day.[8] English celebrity came in the late 14th century, first “solemn rite”.[9]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of crowds and of fame.[2][5][3]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of frequency.[2][3]
  • late 14th century – English celebrity is recorded.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Crowdedness; a crowd.[2]
  2. Crowding at games.[2]
  3. Renown, fame, celebrity.[2]
  4. Frequency.[2]
  5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) A feast, celebration.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Celebritas.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/celebritas. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·