English

Alternative forms

• celestial

Noun

Celestial ‎(plural Celestials)

1. (historical) a person from the Celestial Empire (usually associated with the period of the Qing Dynasty)

Synonyms

• Chinese
• Chinaman
• Qing (when referring to Qing China)
• Ching (when referring to the Qing Empire)
• Ch'ing (when referring to the Qing Dynasty)

English

Alternative forms

• cælestial (archaic), cælestiall (obsolete), celestiall (obsolete), cœlestial (archaic, nonstandard)

Adjective

celestial ‎(not comparable)

1. Relating to heaven in a religious sense.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

2. Relating to the sky or space.
   • Shakespeare

     The twelve celestial signs.

3. (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 heaven in a religious sense): divine, heavenly, spiritual

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

celestial ‎(plural celestials)

1. 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.

Etymology 2

From Celestial Empire, a formerly used name for China.

Noun

celestial ‎(plural celestials)

1. (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.

2. (obsolete, slang) by extension, an East Asian person.

References

• celestial in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• J[ohn] A. Simpson and E[dward] S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 978-0-19-861186-8.
• Kingdoms of Glory on LDS.org.

Galician

Etymology

From Old Portuguese celestial, from Medieval Latin caelestiālis ‎(“celestial”), from Latin caelestis ‎(“celestial”), from caelum ‎(“sky”).

Adjective

celestial m, f (plural celestiais)

1. celestial

Old Provençal

Adjective

celestial m, f ‎(plural celestials)

1. celestial

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese celestial, from Medieval Latin caelestiālis ‎(“celestial”), from Latin caelestis ‎(“celestial”), from caelum ‎(“sky”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /se.les.t͡ʃi.ˈaw/, /se.leʃ.t͡ʃi.ˈaw/, /se.les.ˈt͡ʃjaw/, /se.leʃ.ˈt͡ʃjaw/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɨlɨʃˈtjaɫ/

Adjective

celestial m, f ‎(plural celestiais, comparable)

1. (religion) heavenly (relating to heaven)

Synonyms

• celeste

Coordinate terms

• (heavenly): infernal, terreno

Related terms

• celeste
• céu

Spanish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin caelestialis, from Spanish caelestis, based on caelum ‎(“sky, heaven”).

Pronunciation

• (Castilian) IPA^(key): /θe̞lesˈtjal/
• (Others) IPA^(key): /se̞lesˈtjal/

Adjective

celestial m, f ‎(plural celestiales)

1. celestial

Related terms

• celeste
• cielo