banshee

Where does the word "banshee" come from? It comes from Irish bean sí, and was adopted directly into English (1700s-1800s).

Banshee’s story begins in Irish: bean sí meant “a fairy woman.” Literally "woman of the fairy mound". It reached English by 1700s-1800s as banshee. First recorded in 1771 in the naturalist and travel writer Thomas Pennant; her keening warns of a death in old Irish families. Today, banshee means in Irish folklore, a female spirit whose wailing foretells a death.

1. Stage 1 · Irish · medieval bean sí "a fairy woman", literally "woman of the fairy mound".
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s-1800s banshee "a wailing female spirit who foretells death", first recorded in 1771 in the naturalist and travel writer Thomas Pennant; her keening warns of a death in old Irish families.