shelta

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈʃɛltə/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(shel′tə)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Shel•ta  (shel′tə),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Language Varietiesa private language, based in part on Irish, used among Travelers in the British Isles.
  • origin, originally uncertain 1875–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Shelta / ˈʃɛltə/
  1. a secret language used by some itinerant tinkers in Ireland and parts of Britain, based on systematically altered Gaelic
Etymology: 19th Century: from earlier sheldrū, perhaps an arbitrary alteration of Old Irish bēlre speech
'shelta' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bloke - gammy - moniker - traveler

Forum discussions with the word(s) "shelta" in the title:


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