Banshee
noun /ˈbæn.ʃiː/ — A spirit whose wailing announces a death
Definition
In Irish folklore, a female spirit whose wailing or keening announces the imminent death of a member of a family — the voice of fate before the event.
Beyond the definition
The sound that you hope you will never hear — because it means the worst has already been decided, only not yet experienced.
Origin & history
From Irish 'bean sídhe' (woman of the fairy mound) — 'bean' (woman) + 'sídhe' (of the fairy mound). The sídhe were the supernatural people of ancient Irish belief.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She screamed like a banshee — the kind of sound that reached the neighbours.
There are family names in Irish tradition that the banshee is said to follow — a distinction no one seeks.
The alarm went off with a banshee shriek that tore through three floors of the building.
Synonyms
wailing spirit, death herald, keening spirit
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Foreboding Verbal Presence
An adult stands in the dark hallway of a house, looking toward an open doorway where a sharp, strained argument is happening between two others.
A banshee is a mythical harbinger whose wail announces death. This scene frames a tense, unpleasant verbal conflict as a harbinger of a looming collapse, using the argument as a signifier for the impending breakdown of a relationship.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration