banshee
noun/bænˈʃiː/ · /ˈbænʃiː/
Etymology Borrowed from Irish bean sí, from Old Irish ben síde (literally “woman of the fairy mound”). The term banshee entered English in 1771.
1
Arts, Folklore, History, Human sciences, Literature, Media, Publishing, Sciences Ireland, Scotland A female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death.
- Late had he heard, in prophet's dream, / The fatal Ben-Shie's boding scream […].1810, The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott, 3.VII:
2
Derogatory A noisy or ill-tempered woman.
- Where's this old banshee that runs the place?1936, John Thomas McIntyre, Steps Going Down, page 15:
- Derived terms
- bansheelike
- Related terms
- sidhe