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banshee
noun
Did you know?
In Irish folklore, a bean sídhe (literally "woman of fairyland") was not a welcome guest. When she was seen combing her hair or heard wailing beneath a window, it was considered a sign that a family member was about to die. English speakers modified the mournful fairy's Irish name into the modern word banshee—a term we now most often use to evoke her woeful or terrible or earsplitting cry, as in "to scream like a banshee," or attributively, as in "a banshee wail."
Examples of banshee in a Sentence
Word History
Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, woman of fairyland
1771, in the meaning defined above
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Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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Cite this Entry
“Banshee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banshee. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
banshee
nounfrom Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, "woman of fairyland"
More from Merriam-Webster on banshee
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for banshee
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about banshee
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