The origin of the word celebrate can be traced back to a mid-fifteenth century translation of a Latin book on agriculture. Initially used as a past participle meaning “praised” or “esteemed”, it later evolved to encompass a demonstration of emotions, whether joyful or sorrowful. By the seventeenth century, it had come to signify the “celebration of joy”. The term is derived from the Latin word celebratus, which could mean “famous” or “populous”. Interestingly, the Old English equivalent of “celebrate” was freolsian, which meant “free from labor”. The etymology of the Latin term remains unknown, but its influence on the English language is evident, as seen in words like celebrity.
