Grey Sisters
Preserved but no longer current.
See FRANCISCANS. Grey Washer by the Ford, Ifce. An Irish wraith which seems to be washing clothes in a river; but when the "doomed man" approaches she holds up what she seemed to be washing, and it is the phantom of himself with his death wounds from which he is about to suffer.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Grey Sisters” mean?
See FRANCISCANS. Grey Washer by the Ford, Ifce. An Irish wraith which seems to be washing clothes in a river; but when the "doomed man" approaches she holds up what she seemed to be washing, and it is the phantom of himself with his death wounds from which he is about to suffer.
Is “Grey Sisters” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.