banshee

noun

ban·​shee ˈban-(ˌ)shē  ban-ˈshē 

: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die

We heard someone screaming like a banshee.

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

I heard someone wailing like a banshee.

Recent Examples on the Web

But just before all the banshee wailing threatens to overwhelm proceedings, along comes a hypnotic tribal beat which briefly turns the wake into a party. —Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 2025

Our ears are still ringing from watching fans become shrieking banshees upon realizing that one of her professional dancers was actually the NFL star. —Lauren Huff, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024

The banshee, a spirit of Scottish and Irish origin, signifies death. —Noel Burgess, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Does that explain why the Banshee label doesn’t depict an actual banshee? —Noel Burgess, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, woman of fairyland

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for banshee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

banshee

noun

ban·​shee ˈban-(ˌ)shē  ban-ˈshē 

: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose wailing warns that a death will occur soon

Etymology

from Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, "woman of fairyland"