banshee

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See also: Banshee

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Irish bean sí, from Old Irish ben síde (literally woman of the fairy mound). The term banshee entered English in 1771.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /bænˈʃiː/, /ˈbænʃiː/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iː

Noun

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banshee (plural banshees)

  1. (Scotland, Ireland, folklore) A female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death.
    • 1810, The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott, 3.VII:
      Late had he heard, in prophet's dream, / The fatal Ben-Shie's boding scream [] .
  2. (derogatory) A noisy or ill-tempered woman.

Usage notes

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  • 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.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Translations

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See also

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References

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Anagrams

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Portuguese

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Noun

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banshee f (plural banshees)

  1. (Irish mythology) banshee (a female spirit who warns of impending death)

Scots

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic bean-shìdh or Irish ben síde.

Noun

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banshee

  1. banshee

References

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