banshee

or ban·shie

[ ban-shee, ban-shee ]

See synonyms for banshee on Thesaurus.com

noun

(in Irish folklore) a spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to or is heard by members of a family as a sign that one of them is about to die.

Origin of banshee

First recorded in 1765–75; from Irish bean sídhe “woman of a fairy mound”; bean “woman” (from Old Irish ben; see also queen) + sídhe “of a fairy mound” (from Old Irish síde, genitive of síd “fairy mound”; cf. sídh)

Words Nearby banshee

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use banshee in a sentence

There was a man at my screening with the most irritating banshee laugh, which he would unleash at the most base-level moments of humor.
You Should Absolutely Go Back to the Movies. I Did. And Cried. (A Lot.) | Kevin Fallon | May 28, 2021 | The Daily Beast
When the sheriff-to-be is killed, the man assumes his identity, Lucas Hood, and becomes the new Sheriff of banshee.
‘Banshee,’ Cinemax’s Deliciously Over-the-Top Carnival of Sex and Violence, Is Must-See TV | Marlow Stern | January 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The first season of banshee, meanwhile, was completely outrageous (in a good way).
‘Banshee,’ Cinemax’s Deliciously Over-the-Top Carnival of Sex and Violence, Is Must-See TV | Marlow Stern | January 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is probably sometimes the one and sometimes the other; and its origin is very possibly like that of the banshee.
Animal Ghosts | Elliott O'Donnell
By that time they were down in the servant's pantry where Polly was moaning and groaning and wailing like a banshee.
Ptomaine Street | Carolyn Wells

I left the road, circled the house with the turbine screaming like a banshee and the car taking the corners on the outside wheels.
Highways in Hiding | George Oliver Smith
The car shuddered, howled like a wounded banshee, and then leaped forward with a roar.
Highways in Hiding | George Oliver Smith
"Good old Dog; he's treed the banshee," and Yan rushed out into the darkness.
Two Little Savages | Ernest Thompson Seton

British Dictionary definitions for banshee

banshee

/ (ˈbænʃiː, bænˈʃiː) /

noun

(in Irish folklore) a female spirit whose wailing warns of impending death

Origin of banshee

C18: from Irish Gaelic bean sídhe, literally: woman of the fairy mound

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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