different between shaman vs banshee

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Schamane, from Russian ?????? (šamán), from Evenki ?????? (?am?n), ?????? (sam?n). The Evenki word is possibly derived from the root ??- ("to know"); or else a loanword from Tocharian B ?am?ne (“monk”) or Chinese ?? (sh?mén, “Buddhist monk”), from Pali sama?a from Sanskrit ????? (?rama?a, “ascetic, monk, devotee”), from ???? (?rama, “weariness, exhaustion; labor, toil; etc.”), which would make this a doublet of Sramana.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /????m?n/, /??æm?n/
• Rhymes: -??m?n, -æm?n
• (General American) IPA^(key): /????m?n/, /??e?m?n/, /???m??n/
• Rhymes: -??m?n, -e?m?n, -??n

Noun

shaman (plural shamans)

1. A traditional (prescientific) faith healer.
2. A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a spiritual and, or religious medium between the concrete and spirit worlds.

Usage notes

• The plural form is shamans, not shamen; the etymologically-consistent plural form from the original Evenki is shamasal, but this form sees no use in English; the plural form shamans is, however, universally accepted.

Synonyms

• (spiritual medium): priest-doctor, witch doctor

Derived terms

• shamaness
• shamanism
• shamanize
• shamen (hypercorrect plural)
• technoshaman

Translations

References

Anagrams

• Ashman, Hamans, Mahans, ashman

English

Alternative forms

• banshie (dated)
• benshee (obsolete)

Etymology

From Irish bean sí, from Old Irish ben síde (literally “woman of the fairy mound”). The term banshee entered English in 1771.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bæn??i?/, /?bæn?i?/

Noun

banshee (plural banshees)

1. (Irish folklore) A female spirit, usually taking the form of a woman whose mournful wailing warns of an impending death.
2. (derogatory) A noisy or ill-tempered woman.

Usage notes

• A banshee was originally merely a fairy woman who sang a caoineadh (lament) for recently-deceased members of certain families. Translations of Irish works into English made a distinction between the banshee and other fairy folk that the original language and original stories do not seem to have, but from which sprung the current image of the banshee.

Descendants

Translations

See also

• sidhe

Anagrams

• has-been, shabeen, shebean

Portuguese

Noun

banshee f (plural banshees)

1. (Irish folklore) banshee (a female spirit who warns of impending death)