See Also: Fairy(medicine)
fairy(dictionary)
san fairy ann(dictionary)
fairy(dictionary)
fairy(encyclopedia)
tooth fairy(dictionary)
fairy tale(dictionary)
fairy lights(dictionary)
fairy godmother(dictionary)
fairy cake(dictionary)

fairy (iou)



fairy noun & adjective. See also FAERY. ME.
[Old French faerie, faierie (mod. feerie), formed as FAY noun2: see -ERY.]
A. noun.
The mythical land of fays, fairyland; the inhabitants of fairyland collectively; enchantment. Long rare. ME.
good fairy: see GOOD adjective.
A mythical small being with human form, popularly believed to possess magical powers and to interfere in human affairs (with either good or evil intent); now esp. such a being with the form of a delicate beautiful female, usu. with wings. LME.
transf.
a. An enchantress. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17.
b. A small graceful woman or child. M19.
c. A male homosexual. slang. derog. L19.
b. adjective.
That is a fairy; of or pertaining to fairies; enchanted; fictitious. L16.
Fairy-like; delicate, finely formed. L18.
Special collocations & comb.: fairy armadillo either of two very small furry burrowing armadillos, Chlamyphorus retusus and C. truncatus, having a series of plates attached to the spine and heavily armoured at the rear. fairy cake a small individual sponge cake, usu. iced and decorated. fairy cycle a low small-wheeled bicycle for a child. fairy flax: see FLAX noun 2a. fairy-floss Austral. candyfloss. fairy godmother a fairy who acts as a protector to a mortal child; fig. a benefactress. Fairyland the home of the fairies; an enchanted region. fairy lights small coloured lights used for decoration, esp. on Christmas trees. fairy martin an Australian martin, Petrochelidon ariel, predominantly black and white with a red-brown crown. fairy moss = AZOLLA. fairy penguin the little (blue) penguin, Eudyptula minor, found on the south coasts of Australia and New Zealand. fairy prion a prion, Pachyptila turtur, which breeds on the coasts of SE Australia, New Zealand, and the Falkland Islands, and has a bluish bill and bluish feet. fairy-ring a circular band of grass darker than that around it, caused by the growth of fungi, but popularly attributed to the dancing of fairies. fairy rose a miniature variety of China rose (Rosa chinensis). fairy shrimp any of various small transparent crustaceans, esp. Chirocephalus diaphanus, which typically swim on their backs and use their legs to filter food particles from the water. fairy story a fairy tale. fairy tale (a) a tale about fairies, or about a strange incident, coincidence, marvellous progress etc.; an unreal or incredible story, a fabrication; (b) the enchanted world of fairy tales, fairy tales as a genre. fairy tern (a) a small black-crowned Australasian tern, Sterna nereis; (b) the white tern, Gygis alba, of tropical oceans. fairy thimble(s): see THIMBLE noun 8. fairy wren any of various small Australasian songbirds of the genus Malurus (family Maluridae), with a long cocked tail and freq. with bright blue coloration in the male.
fairyism noun (a) the magical power of fairies; (b) fairy-like conditions or characteristics: E18.
fairy-like adjective resembling (that of) a fairy L16.