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A spirit from ancient Irish/Scottish Celtic mythology.
From Old Irish "ben síde" and modern Irish "bean sídhe"/"bean sí", the word roughly means "woman of the fairies" ("bean": "woman"; "sídhe": "fairy mound"). When a citizen of a village dies, a woman (sometimes known as keener (taken from the Irish Gaelic word "caoin" ("to weep/cry")) would sing a caoineadh (lament); legend has it that, for five great Gaelic families: the O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs, the lament would be sung by a particular fairy woman.
When the stories were translated into English, a distinction between the "banshee" and the other fairy folk was introduced which does not seem to exist in the original stories in their original language, and the funeral lament became a wail that heralded a death. Hearing the cry of the banshee came to forewarn a death in the family and seeing the banshee would signify one's own death.
Most often, the banshee appears a maiden in white, combing their cascading fair hair with a silver comb (which is likely confused with local mermaid myths), while they are also shown in black or green and wearing a grey cloak.
She may also appear (near a body of water) as a washer-woman, and is seen apparently washing the blood-stained clothes of the ones who are about to die. In this guise she is known as the bean-nighe (washing woman).
The haunting sound of a woman sobbing echoed faintly, but clearly, through the night... the cry of the banshee!
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people are actually getting the definition of a banshee very wrong. let me quote from john allan's "mysteries".
"banshees are really guardian spirits rather than harbingers of doom, but their cry always spell disaster."
so a banshee, or a bansidhe is not the cause of death of someone, but a warning cry, if you will.
my nan used to say i'm as loud as a banshee :/
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1. A female spirit derived from ancient Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death. Her Scottish counterpart is the Bean Nighe (washer-woman). It is said that when a person hears the Bansee's wail three nights in a row, a person in their family will die. When several Banshees appear, it indicates the death of someone great or holy.
2. Contemporary usage and depictions of the Banshee give her a much more evil nature, being often used as a foe in series and video games, and characterized by her powerful and strident voice.
3. An obnoxious, loud woman.
1. I heard a Banshee last night, I'm afraid this means mama will not heal.
2. "When a simple mortal hears a Banshee's cry, they die. But Banshees are former witches, and when a witch hears their cry, they turn into a Banshee!" - Charmed
3. Your mother-in-law is a banshee!
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A mythological, female, magical creature that flies all night looking for prey. They feed on people's sadness. They kill by screaming in such a high pitch that it breaks glass and the arteries of its victem's body so that they drown in their own blood.
You don't want to be a banshee's prey.
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A vehical you piss people off with on Halo
What a n00b flying around in that Banshee
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n.
A female spirit in Gaelic folklore believed to presage, by wailing, a death in a family.
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Irish Gaelic bean sídhe, woman of the fairies, banshee : bean, woman (from Old Irish ben. See gwen- in Indo-European Roots) + sídhe, fairy (from Old Irish síde, genitive of síd, fairy mound. See sed- in Indo-European Roots).
My father screams like a banshee.
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A one manned covenant flying vehicle featured in the Halo game series. It is the fastest and most sought after vehicle to control in multiplayer. It has two primary plasma cannons and a "banshhe bomb" secondary attack. Opponents can also be killed by "splattering" whilst driving the vehicle.
I got in the banshee at the start of the match and managed to get MVP on our team because I pwn with it.
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