Standard Lemma guide

banshee

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /bænˈʃiː/
  • /ˈbænʃiː/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iː
  • CMU ARPABET: B AE0 N SH IY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: B AE1 N SH IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, Scotland

Topics: arts, folklore, history, human-sciences, literature, media, publishing, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A noisy or ill-tempered woman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

(Irish folklore) a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: banshie

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spirit, disembodied spirit

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish bean sí, from Old Irish ben síde (literally “woman of the fairy mound”). The term banshee entered English in 1771.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بَانْشِي (bānšī) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Armenian: բանշի (banši) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Catalan: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 報喪女妖 /报丧女妖 (bàosāng nǚyāo) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喪門神 /丧门神 (sàngménshén) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喪門星 /丧门星 (sàngménxīng) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Danish: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Dutch: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Esperanto: banŝio — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Finnish: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • French: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • French: banshie — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • German: Banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Hungarian: sikítószellem — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Irish: bean sí — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Old Irish: ben síde — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Old Irish: baintsíde — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Japanese: バンシー (banshī) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Korean: 반시 (bansi) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Northern Kurdish: banşî — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Manx: ben shee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Polish: szyszymora — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Portuguese: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Russian: ба́нши (bánši) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Russian: банши́ (banší) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Russian: ба́ньши (bánʹši) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Russian: баньши́ (banʹší) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Scots: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Scottish Gaelic: bean-shìdh — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Spanish: banshee — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Spanish: La Llorona — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Ukrainian: банші (banši) — in Irish folklore, a female spirit
  • Welsh: cyhyraeth — in Irish folklore, a female spirit