Celá

Celá is the feminine singular form of the Slavic adjective celý, used in Czech and Slovak to mean “the whole” or “entire.” It agrees with feminine nouns in the nominative and accusative cases. The masculine form is celý and the neuter form is celé. The feminine form is indicated by the acute accent on the a, distinguishing it from the other gender forms.

In usage, celá modifies feminine nouns: celá noc (the entire night), celá rodina (the whole family), celá věc (the whole thing). It also appears in fixed expressions such as celá řada (a whole range) and celá spousta (a great many). The term is common in both formal and everyday language to emphasize totality or completeness.

Etymology traces celestially to Proto-Slavic *celъ, meaning “whole.” It is cognate with related forms in other Slavic languages, such as Polish cała, Russian целая (tselaya), and Ukrainian ціла (tsila). These cognates reflect a shared root across the Slavic language family for expressing entirety or wholeness.