banshee
n. countable C2 Proficiency US //ˈbænʃi// UK //bˈænʃiː// ban·shee
n. a ghost in Irish stories that cries to warn people that someone is about to die. It is often described as a woman with long, grey hair.
n. a supernatural being in Irish mythology that wails to forewarn of an impending death. Often depicted as a female spirit with long, grey hair.
The banshee's cry echoed through the valley at midnight.
In many traditional folk tales, the banshee appears to a family to signal that a member is near death.
The legend of the banshee persists in modern Irish culture, often serving as a metaphor for the inescapable nature of grief and the passage of time.
Borrowed from Irish bean sí, from Old Irish ben síde (literally “woman of the fairy mound”). The term banshee entered English in 1771.