banshee

English

/bænˈʃiː/

noun

Definitions

(Irish folklore) A female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death.
(derogatory) A noisy or ill-tempered woman.

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish bean sí borrowed from Old Irish ben síde (woman of the fairy mound).

Origin

Old Irish

ben síde

Gloss

woman of the fairy mound

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms

bansheelike English
Banshee German
банши Russian
баньши Russian
バンシー Japanese
bean Irish
bean sí Irish
sí Irish
ben Old Irish
ben síde Old Irish
síd Old Irish
bean-shìdh Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic

bansheelike