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Glite Dictionary
banshie

banshie

9.9
A woman ghost in old Irish stories who cries to warn a family that someone will die
  • noun
  • /ˈbænʃi/
  • Literature
translation icon : banshee
  • The legend of the banshie remains one of the most haunting in Irish folklore.

Examples

  • She swore she heard the wail of a banshie the night before her uncle passed away.

  • Many believe that a banshie wails when someone is about to die.

  • In ancient tales, a family's fate was sealed by the mournful cry of a banshie at midnight.

  • The banshie is said to appear before a family tragedy.

  • On a quiet night, they claimed they heard the wail of a banshie warning them of a family tragedy.

  • According to legend, the eerie cry of a banshie foretells the death of a loved one.

  • In their folklore, the appearance of a banshie signifies that someone in the family will soon pass away.

Synonyms

banshee
vsbanshie
  • Literature
24 9.9

A female spirit who wails to warn that someone in the family will die

has identical meaning but is spelled differently
hant
vsbanshie
  • Archaic
9.9

A ghost that people say visits a place, often at night

is a specific female wailing spirit that warns of impending family death
bhut
vsbanshie
  • Indian
9.9

A ghost in South Asian stories that people believe haunts places or people

is a female wailing spirit that signals imminent family death

Surface Forms

banshie singular
banshees plural

Etymology

Banshie comes from Irish words bean 'woman' and sí 'fairy', so it originally meant a 'woman of the fairies'. A banshie was said to give a long, loud cry that warned a family someone would soon die, which is why the word now means a female spirit who wails before death.