Celestial en · NOUN · etymology 1
Etymology
From the Celestial Empire, a colloquialism for the Chinese Empire / Empire of China / Imperial China.
Meanings
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(historical) a person from the Celestial Empire (usually associated with the period of the Qing Dynasty)
The Celestial was a smart old coot, too. I recall a cowboy who had a violent toothache, went in to try and fool him and told ‘Doc’ Hay he was plenty sick, […]
1952 January 25, “HISTORY: Ing ‘Doc’ Hay is dead”, in Blue Mountain Eagle, archived from the original on 21 May 2018:However, with true Celestial pertinacity, `John' has stuck to his work.
1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 256:Kharbin[…] It is quite a modern Russian town having been founded in 1899 as a centre for the administration of the East China Railyway and the civil and military control of Manchuria. The Celestials call it Ha-êrh-pin. The city was officially opened to international trade on the 14th January 1907, in accordance with the terms of the Chino-Japanese treaty of the 22nd December 1905.
1912, Northern China, The Valley of the Blue River, Korea, Hachette & Company, →OCLC, page 255:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| celestial | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Celestials | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Descendants
Relateds
Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge
Synonyms
Qing · Chinaman · Ch'ing · Ching · Chinese
Translations (1)
nl hemelrijker (Chinese person)