BANSHEE

banshee, banshie

(noun) (Irish folklore) a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

banshee (plural banshees)

(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.

Usage notes

• A banshee was originally merely a fairy woman who sang a caoineadh (lament) for recently-deceased members of certain families. Translations of Irish works into English made a distinction between the banshee and other fairy folk that the original language and original stories do not seem to have, but from which sprung the current image of the banshee.

Anagrams

• has-been, shabeen, shebean

Source: Wiktionary

Ban"shee, Ban"shie, n. Etym: [Gael. bean-shith fairy; Gael. & Ir. bean woman + Gael. sith fairy.]

Definition: A supernatural being supposed by the Irish and Scotch peasantry to warn a family of the speedy death of one of its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice under the windows of the house.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition