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Borrowed from Polish cel. Compare Russian цель (celʹ), Hungarian cél, German Ziel, Czech cíl, Ukrainian ціль (cilʹ), Yiddish ציל (tsil).

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡selo/

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• Rhymes: -elo
• Syllabification: ce‧lo

celo (accusative singular celon, plural celoj, accusative plural celojn)

1. goal, aim, purpose
   • 1929, L. L. Zamenhof, edited by Johannes Dietterle, Originala Verkaro [Original Works]‎^[1] (paperback), Leipzig: Ferdinand Hirt & Sohn, page 59:

     Ĝis tiu tempo, t. e. en la daŭro de la unuaj 5 jaroj, en la lingvo laŭ mia opinio nenio devus esti ŝanĝata kaj la tuta laborado de la amikoj devus havi la celon nur fortigi kaj vastigi nian aferon.

     Until that time, i. e. in the duration of the first 5 years, according to my opinion, nothing in the language should be changed and the entire work by the friends should have the goal only to strengthen and spread our affair.

   • 2024 August 4, Andy Blair, “Paralela Universo”, in uea.facila‎^[2], archived from the original on 15 September 2024:

     Laŭ la fondinto de Paralela Universo, Jed Meltzer el Toronto, la celo de la festivalo estas doni al esperantistoj la eblon renkontiĝi persone kaj surloke.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɛ.lo/
• Homophone: cielo
• Rhymes: -ɛlo
• Hyphenation: cè‧lo

celo

1. first-person singular present indicative of celare

• cole, cole-

Probably denominal, perhaps from a root noun *kēls (“hiding-place”),^[1] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-. The older and more straightforward formation *kelō is found in occulō.

Related to clam. Cognate with Old Irish ceilid (“to hide”) and Proto-Germanic *helaną, *huljaną.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkeː.ɫoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ʃɛː.lo]

cēlō (present infinitive cēlāre, perfect active cēlāvī, supine cēlātum); first conjugation

1. to hide (something from someone), cover, keep a secret, conceal
   • c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Proverbs.12.23:

     Homō versūtus cēlat scientiam: et cor īnsipientium prōvocābit stultitiam.

     A cautious man concealeth [conceals] knowledge: and the heart of fools publisheth folly. (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.: 1752 CE)

¹At least one use of the Old Latin "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").
²The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.
³At least one rare poetic syncopated perfect form is attested.

• concēlō

• “celo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “celo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “celo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[3], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • not to betray one's feelings by one's looks: sententiam fronte celare, tegere
    

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡sɛ.lɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɛlɔ
• Syllabification: ce‧lo

celo f

1. vocative singular of cela

celo (Cyrillic spelling цело)

1. neuter nominative/accusative/vocative singular of ceo

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /t͡sɛlóː/

celọ̑

1. even (implying extreme example)
2. even, yet (emphasizing a comparative)

• “celo”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “celo”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

• IPA^(key): /ˈθelo/ [ˈθe.lo] (Spain, Equatorial Guinea)
• IPA^(key): /ˈselo/ [ˈse.lo] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -elo
• Syllabification: ce‧lo

Inherited from Latin zēlus, borrowed from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos). Cognate with English zeal.

• zelo (obsolete)

celo m (plural celos)

1. zeal
2. heat (condition where a mammal is aroused sexually or where it is especially fertile and therefore eager to mate)

   Está en celo. ― She's in heat.

3. (in the plural) jealousy

   Su novio tiene celos de mí.

   Her boyfriend is jealous of me.

Clipping of English sellotape.

celo m (uncountable)

1. sellotape, sticky tape, Scotch tape, adhesive tape

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

celo

1. first-person singular present indicative of celar

• “celo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025