Where does “banshee” come from?

Banshee comes from Irish bean sí, from Old Irish ben síde, combining Old Irish ben "woman" from Proto-Celtic benā from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyh₂-.

banshee (English): A female spirit, usually taking the form of a...

Definitions

  1. A female spirit, usually taking the form of a...

Ancestry of “banshee”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Irishbean síbanshee, fairy woman
2Old Irishben sídebanshee, fairy woman
3Old Irishbenwoman; wife; third-person singular present...
4Proto-Celticbenāwoman
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʷḗnwoman
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷen-woman

Words derived from “banshee”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn →Every word from Proto-Celtic benā →