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Definition of Banshee
1. Noun. (Irish folklore) a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death.
Category relationships: Folklore
Geographical relationships: Emerald Isle, Hibernia, Ireland
Generic synonyms: Disembodied Spirit, Spirit
Definition of Banshee
1. n. A supernatural being supposed by the Irish and Scotch peasantry to warn a family of the speedy death of one of its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice under the windows of the house.
Definition of Banshee
1. Noun. In Irish folklore, a female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death. Originally a fairy woman singing a caoineadh (lament) for recently-deceased members of the O’Grady, the O’Neill, the O’Brien, the O’Connor, and the Kavanagh families, translations into English made a distinction between the banshee and other fairy folk that the original language and original stories do not seem to have, and thus the current image of the banshee. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Banshee
1. a female spirit [n -S]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Banshee
Literary usage of Banshee
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Irish Literature by Justin McCarthy, Maurice Francis Egan, Charles Welsh, Douglas Hyde, Gregory, James Jeffrey Roche (1904)
"BIDDY BRADY'S banshee. From ' A Bunch of Shamrocks.' " Arrah, thin! ... It's she
that gets mad av yeh ask her av she ivir seen a banshee! ..."
2. Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms & Superstitions of Ireland: With Sketches of by Wilde (1902)
"THE banshee, THE banshee means, especially, the woman of the fairy race, ...
Sometimes the banshee assumes the form of some sweet singing virgin of the ..."
3. The African Repository by American Colonization Society (1853)
"Mr. Wright, and wife, Dr. Steele, Miss Steele, and two other young ladies, took
passage in the banshee, all for the Protestant Episcopal Mission at, ..."
4. The Song Lore of Ireland: Erin's Story in Music and Verse by Redfern Mason (1910)
"Three times this gentleman heard the banshee's warning and each time it spoke death.
... The Cry ef the banshee. It used to be believed that the poets and ..."
5. Rudimentary Treatise on Marine Engines and Steam Vessels: Together with by Robert Murray (1852)
"against the tide . 15-75 stat. miles. Mean speed 18-62 stat. miles. The banshee
has proved the fastest of the Holyhead packets, performing the trip from ..."
6. The Golden Treasury of Irish Songs and Lyrics by Charles Welsh (1907)
"STREET SONGS BALLADS AND ANONYMOUS VERSE THE banshee THE day was declining, The
dark night drew near, And the old lord grew sadder, And-paler with fear. ..."
7. Ballads & Poems by Dora (Sigerson) Shorter (1899)
"66 THE banshee Now God between us and all harm, For I to-night have seen A banshee
in the shadow pass Along the dark boreen. And as she went she keened and ..."
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