Dictionary entry

Bansshee

Webster's Dictionary 1913

{ Bans″shee, Ban″shie (?) }, n. [Gael. bean-shith fairy; Gael. & Ir. bean woman + Gael. sith fairy.] (Celtic Folklore) A supernatural being supposed to warn a family of the approaching death of one of its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice.