Where does “bean-shìdh” come from?
bean-shìdh (Scottish Gaelic) comes from Old Irish ben síde, from Old Irish ben, from Proto-Celtic benā, from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn, from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- — woman.
bean-shìdh (Scottish Gaelic): a fairy woman
Ancestry of “bean-shìdh”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Irish | ben síde | banshee, fairy woman |
| 2 | Old Irish | ben | woman; wife; third-person singular present... |
| 3 | Proto-Celtic | benā | woman |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷḗn | woman |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷen- | woman |