banshee
BAN-shee · noun
Origin
Banshee entered English in 1771, borrowed from Irish bean sí, which traces back to Old Irish ben síde, literally 'woman of the fairy mound.'
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Journey
The word seems to have carried its 'fairy woman' sense with it when it entered English in the 18th century.
Related words
The Irish word síde, 'of the fairy mound,' points back to the same Old Irish root as bean sí.
More words
From Irish