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fairyn.adj. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French faerie, feerie. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French faerie, faierie, Old French, Middle French feerie, Middle French farie (French féerie ) witchcraft, enchantment (c1188), the realm of fairies (13th cent.; compare Middle French estre de feerie to have magical powers (c1350), to belong to or relate to the realm of fairies (c1490)) < fae , fee fay n.2 + -erie -ery suffix. Compare later faerie n. and see discussion at that entry.The French etymon is not attested in the usual current sense of the English noun (see sense A. 3), which is usually expressed by Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French fae , fee fay n.2 This sense appears to have developed within English via collective use in sense A. 2b, subsequently reanalysed as an unmarked plural. The β. forms show double plurals (fairieses, farieses, etc.) and inferred singulars developed from them. The forms fairishes, ferishers (whence the analogical singulars fairish, ferisher) apparently show dissimilation from the forms in -ses . For a further development of the β. forms compare Pharisee n. 3. Compare also fairess n., instances of which can be difficult to distinguish from β. forms of the present word; some forms given here may rather belong at that entry. A. n.the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > fancy or fantastic notion > deceptive fancy or illusion > [noun] the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] c1330 (?a1300) (Auch.) (1952) l. 40 Þat þou herdest þis [c1400 Laud is] fairie. c1330 (Auch.) (1966) l. 492 (MED) Þe pouer begger..Told him..Hou her quen was stole owy, Ten ȝer gon, wiþ fairy. c1390 in C. Brown (1924) 143 Þis world..Hit nis but fantum and feiri. c1450 tr. G. Deguileville (Cambr.) (1869) 89 I wot not what this tokeneth but if it be a fairye. a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville (Vitell.) l. 9260 (MED) Wher yt be trouth or fayrye. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. (1882–7) clvi. 595 To ye entente that the monke shuld not begyle hym, thus by the fayrey and enchauntement. a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1959) x. iv. l.31 Baith hys handis..[he] Towart the hevin vphevis in a fary. 2. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > (conditions resembling) fairyland the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > mental image, idea, or fancy > realm of imagination > [noun] > imaginary place c1330 (?c1300) Reinbrun (Auch.) in J. Zupitza (1891) 659 Hit is a kniȝtes of fayri, And al þis forest her-by. c1330 (Auch.) (1966) l. 283 (MED) Þe king o fairy [a1500 Harl. fayre, c1500 Ashm. fary] wiþ his rout Com to hunt him al about. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) v. l. 7073 An hauk..as he were of faierie. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 88 Thogh he were comen agayn out of ffairye. ?a1425 (Egerton) (1889) 73 A sperhawke..and a faire lady of Fairye sittand þerby. 1535 D. Lindsay 4189 I man pas to the King of Farie, Or ellis the rycht to hell. 1593 M. Drayton iii. sig. C3 [Collin] is to fayrie gone a Pilgrimage. 1685 G. Sinclair 214 A king and queen of pharie. 1755 M. Mendez Squire of Dames ii. xxiii, in R. Dodsley IV. 147 The lond of Fairy doth each lond excel; View there the paragons of womankind. 1828 Mar. 104/1 The Queen of Fairy and her train have appeared as Diana and her nymphs. 1883 23 May 258/1 The most important person in the story is Oberon the king of Fairy. 1904 W. B. Yeats July (1994) III. 621 Peg Inerny..was beggar woman by day and Queen of Fairy by night. 2011 ‘G. Summers’ v. 67 It would..suck to be stuck in Fairy and never see her dad again. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > collectively a1375 (c1350) (1867) l. 230 (MED) Þemperour wend witerly for wonder of þat child, þat feiȝþely it were of feyrye. 1490 W. Caxton tr. (1885) xiv. 337 The horse..that cam of the fery. a1500 (Harl.) (1966) l. 189 Awey with þe fayre sche was ynome. 1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart II. ccxxiv. [ccxx.] 700 Suche as knowe..affyrmeth that the fayry and the nympes be moche conuersaunt there. c1540 Pilgrim's Tale 88 in F. Thynne (1875) 79 Where this man walked, there was no farey..for his blessynges..did vanquyche them. 1603 cxxxii. sig. E3v Gang hence..to the Farie, With me thow may na langer tarie. 1681 S. Colvil i. 61 Some affirm he is Puck Hary, Some, he hath walked with the Fairy. 1841 J. Abbott i. 11 Speak..Or vanish forever From Land of the Fairy! 1891 F. K. Johnson 28 Oh, the land of the fairy, lost to me By the soundless tides of the great white sea! 2007 G. R. Varner v. 43 The Fairy are said to steal children and at the same time assist in their birth. 3. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 846 This maketh þt ther been no fairyes. c1450 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker (1884) I. 571 Cavni, fayryes. 1563 W. Fulke v. f. 68v Those round circles..that ignoraunt people affirme to be the rynges of the fayries danses. 1583 R. Sempill xxxv. 210 Ane carling of the Quene of Phareis. 1600 W. Shakespeare ii. i. 256 And there the snake throwes her enammeld skinne, Weed wide enough to wrappe a Fairy in. View more context for this quotation 1651 R. Baxter (new ed.) ii. vii. 270 Hags (or Fairies,) that is, such as exercise familiarity with men. 1695 R. Blackmore i. 22 The Jocond Fairies Dance their silent round. 1743 W. Collins 9 Twilight Fairies tread the circled Green. 1770 T. Percy tr. P. H. Mallet II. vii. 47 The notion is not everywhere exploded that there are in the bowels of the earth ‘Fairies’, or a kind of dwarfish and tiny beings, of human shape, remarkable for their riches, their activity and malevolence. 1832 W. Irving I. 128 She is small enough to be a fairy, and a fairy she may be for aught I can find out. 1891 30 Oct. 5/1 The first appearance of the conventional Fairy..is made in Perrault's ‘Contes’ (1697). 1920 E. L. Gardner Let. 29 July in A. Conan Doyle (1922) ii. 45 Early in this year,..I heard from a friend of photographs of fairies having been successfully taken. 1937 L. V. B. Moses in J. F. Dobie & M. C. Boatright 187 May Eve, which is a special feast of the fairies, was set as the night for the betrothal of the young couple. 1975 26 May 90/2 The Prince and the Lilac Fairy get into a boat. 2006 G. Rees 4 When I looked across at my curtains I suddenly saw lots of little fairies dancing across the top of them. the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > nymph the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > nymph > water-nymph(s) 1542 T. Elyot Hamadriades, nymphes or fayries of the woodes. 1542 T. Elyot Nereides, fayries of the sea. 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria i. iii. f. 12 The fayre nimphes or fayeres of the sea (cauled Nereiades). 1607 E. Topsell 334 The virgin liued among the pharies of the Sea. 1623 H. Cockeram ii. sig. H1v/1 Naiades, Fayries of the water. Naþææ, Fayries of the Woods. Oreades, Fayries of the Mountaines. 1803 G. S. Faber II. 430 Morgana or Mergian seems to be Mer-Gin, the genius or fairy of the sea. 1893 G. Barlow iii. 120 Just a piece of broken bottle—but to us it seemed to be Surely a priceless emerald stolen from the fairies of the sea! 1918 Aug. 611 She had the power of changing herself into a mermaid, and really was akin to fairies of the sea. 2010 J. Zipes i. iii. 46 The fairy of the sea arrives in her chariot pulled by a gigantic fish. 4. In extended use. the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > enchanter > enchantress the mind > attention and judgement > attractiveness > [noun] > attractive person > woman a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. ix. 12 To this great Faiery [sc. Cleopatra], Ile commend thy acts. View more context for this quotation 1633 J. Shirley iv. i. sig. G3v Prethee Child of darknesse conduct me to the handsome Fairie I must dance withall. ?c1795 in 64 She's my darling, only dear, Bewitching little fairy. 1862 J. S. Warner 80 And the fairy is Miss St. John? 1903 June 94/1 You can't tell by lookin' at one of these Fairies nowadays what kind of Clothes her Father wears. 1941 V. Davis 137 Fairies, be it noted, are ladies of questionable morality. 1981 J. Bradner vii. 80 Bet she ain't half the fairy he's making her out to be. the world > people > person > child > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > refinement > elegance > [noun] > gracefulness > graceful woman a1635 T. Randolph Amyntas v. v. 96 in (1638) I'le goe fetch the youngsters of the towne, The mortall Fairies. 1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton I. i. v. 41 Miss Merton..was..surprised by the beauty..of the young fairy before her. 1915 L. M. Montgomery xxxix. 309 Phil made a dainty fairy of a bride. 2010 G. Gardner iii. 53 Small, he wasn't, probably six foot. But then, she was no fairy, herself. the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual orientation > homosexuality > [noun] > a homosexual person > male 1896 7 216 This coincides with what is known of the peculiar societies of inverts. Coffee-clatches, where the members dress themselves with aprons, etc., and knit, gossip and crotchet; balls, where men adopt the ladies' evening dress, are well known in Europe. ‘The Fairies’ of New York are said to be a similar secret organization. 1923 E. Paul 240 He thought the male dancers must all be fairies. 1945 E. Waugh i. v. 102 Two girls stopped near our table and looked at us curiously. ‘Come on,’ said one to the other, ‘we're wasting our time. They're only fairies.’ 1974 R. Cormier iii. 201 You're a fairy. A queer. Living in the closet, hiding away. 2006 Nov. 51 He's a proper pansy, a full-on g.a.y. fairy. B. adj.the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [adjective] the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > fancy or fantastic notion > deceptive fancy or illusion > [adjective] 1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus sig. Ev I let passe Minos, and Numa, eache of whom with feigned fayrie inuencions bleared the grosse multitudes eies. c1640 E. Waller iii Hast thou not heard of fairy Arthur's shield. 1699 R. Bentley (new ed.) 286 His two Fairy Poets..wrote Tragedies against him. 1713 22 Aug. 1/1 The Fairy Images of Glory and Honour. 1764 D. Garrick 25 June (1963) I. 419 The Regate they gave him was all a Dream & fairy Vision, & more than answer'd our Expectations. 1821 P. B. Shelley 15 The fairy isles of sunny lawn. 1875 A. Cambridge 41 Thy fairy islands floating in the sun—Thy poppy-sprinkled, grave-strewn Lido shore. 1906 ‘M. Twain’ Diary 1 Feb. in (2010) I. 177 We arrived at last, and when I entered that fairy place my indignation reached high-water mark. 1994 6 Mar. x. 24/2 Hume's nightmare is that Adams may have led him down a fairy garden path. the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [adjective] > woven > other 1651 J. Ogilby ii. 16 At last they strip him, as he chattering sate, Of his fairy feathers, and his guadie coats. 1699 R. Bentley (new ed.) 225 He was a Gyant Tragedian, rather than a Fairy one. 1786 W. Gilpin II. 223 Little fairy scenes, where the parts, tho trifling, are happily disposed. 1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton I. ii. ii. 138 Delicate and fairy cast of beauty. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in 56 [He] Show'd her..The little dells of cowslip, fairy palms,..fairy pines. 1883 T. B. Aldrich 243 Fairy textures from looms of Samarcand. 1940 C. Stead x. 414 The little fairy daughter of ‘Coffin’ Lomasne was standing at the dressing table prinking before the glass. 1965 M. H. Wolf 20 Along every roadside shad plums and choke cherries bloom in fairy delicacy. 1995 (Nexis) 30 July (Life section) 6 Apple..was cradled in flaky pastry of fairy lightness. 2008 (Nexis) 28 July 4 Stella McCartney dress..hangs off her fairy frame like a shroud. the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual orientation > homosexuality > [adjective] 1925 R. McAlmon 25 He..began soon to relate a variety of fairy stories which he had heard while in the army. 1948 T. Heggen xi. 146 He told about the fairy patient of his who tried to change his sex with a self-amputation. 1971 F. Hilaire xxix. 182 Oh, you fairy bastard! 1999 J. Fitzgerald ii. 43 This was..a place people like us congregated and picked up partners for the night and had a good time leading the ‘fairy’ lifestyle. 2000 Z. Smith (2001) ix. 222 My husband was poncing about in Delhi with a load of fairy college boys. Phrases P1. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > gnome 1695 Comus in J. Milton (ed. 3) f. 9v/2 No Goblin, or swart Faiery [1637 Faërie; other eds. Faëry] of the mine. 1793 H. Boyd 532 While the fairies of the mine Below, shall course the wand'ring beam. 1810 VIII. 401/2 Fairy of the mine.., The Germans believed in two species; one fierce and malevolent: the other a gentle race. 1888 Oct. 218 In Wales the fairies of the mines are called ‘knockers’. 1918 W. E. Griffis (2005) 42 Some bargained with the..fairies of the mines, to bring them shining ore or precious gems which they offered to Snow White. Compounds C1. (Chiefly in sense A. 3a.) 1599 A. Holborne sig. E2, (heading) The Fairie-round. 1600 W. Shakespeare ii. ii. 1 Come, now a Roundell, and a Fairy song. View more context for this quotation c1620 Convert Soule in E. Farr (1848) 89 And for thy food eat fairy bread. 1681 J. Dryden ii. ii. 21 These Fayery favours Are lost when not conceal'd. 1732 G. Berkeley II. vii. xxv. 190 They have exposed their fairy Ware not to cheat but divert us. 1792 S. Rogers ii. 3 To view the fairy-haunts of long-lost hours. 1794 A. Radcliffe I. i. 18 Tell the Goddess of this fairy scene. 1813 P. B. Shelley i. 5 Those who had looked upon the sight..Saw but the fairy pageant. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in 56 What look'd a flight of fairy arrows. 1913 M. Hewlett 236 A woman marrying a male fairy gets some, but not all, of the fairy attributes. 1972 J. Simpson i. 28 Red is a typical fairy colour in Iceland. 2012 (Nexis) 21 Dec. 31 The drastic step of telling the elves and fairies that they would no longer have a room of their own in their fairy castle. c1330 (?c1300) Reinbrun (Auch.) in J. Zupitza (1891) 655 (MED) A fairy kniȝt herin is. 1594 J. Dickenson sig. E Then wil I speed mee to the groues vnhanted, Where Satyres sport them to the Fairie wood-Nymphs. 1598 E. Guilpin sig. C5v I applaud my selfe, For nettle-stinging thus this fayery elfe. 1600 W. Shakespeare v. ii. 24 Euery Elfe and Fairy spright, Hop as light as birde from brier. View more context for this quotation 1650 R. Baron 90 Thousand Cupids frisk'd and plai'd With Fairy Graces thither come To prove her Breast Elizium. 1718 No. 94. 274 The Pleasure..would have proved a fruitless Toil to the wandering Lover, had he not been instructed by his Fairy Guide in the Geography of the Building. 1816 Apr. 290/2 Many a fairy elf is there, Gliding through the murky air. 1827 R. Pollok I. iii. 117 Tales Of fairy folk, and sleepless ghosts. 1855 F. W. Robinson III. iii. 61 She was like a fairy partner for me. 1931 A. Wilson in E. S. Stevens p. xiv Stories in which jānn, or fairy-folk, don at will the appearance of birds. 1998 S. Kane 106 These mysterious hills contain..the fairy people. 2001 R. Grimassi ii. 28 Evidence exists that the fairy sprite called Robin Goodfellow was of Etruscan origin. 1603 S. Harsnett 21 The poore Wench was so Fayrie haunted, as she durst not goe..to Ma. Dibdale hir chamber alone. 1616 F. Rous lxvii. 316 Thus is man most truly fayry-led. 1769 D. Garrick 12 Had those bards..Vouchsaf'd to fairy-haunted Avon praise! 1810 J. Conder et al. 105 The fairy-penciled spray. 1871 F. T. Palgrave 11 All these things..So wrought on her, though fairy born and wild. 1921 E. Phillpotts ix. 102 You might say she was a changeling. Only the fairy stories all made it clear they fairy-born girls weren't no good for humans. 2011 (Nexis) 24 July 30 Mrs Bord..identified a site..in the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire as the second most fairy-haunted site in Britain. 1761 J. Langborne in sig. X2 Fly, ye fairy-footed Hours! 1778 J. Langhorne x. 30 The fairy-featur'd Vale. 1816 Ld. Byron cii. 56 Bees and birds, And fairy-form'd and many-coloured things. 1886 J. Ruskin II. v. 154 In the distance..the great walnut-trees have become dots, and the farmsteads, minikin as if they were the fairy-finest of models made to be packed in a box. 1904 20 May 2/4 A wonder, a green miracle, More fairy-fine than words can tell. 1925 C. Day Lewis 21 Give me your hands so fairy-fine. 2002 A. Fuller 30 Vanessa,..a mass of fairy-white hair, toddling cheerfully. C2. 1817 Nov. 175/2 His unuplifted look Lives on the yellow page of some old fairy book. 1850 E. B. Browning (new ed.) II. 213 A child..sleeping with dropt head Upon the fairy-book he lately read. 1902 W. de la Mare 66 Seated upon her tapestry-stool, Her fairy-book laid by. 1994 H. Roth (1995) i. 69 Everybody says I'm too big to read fairy books. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > toast > [noun] 1874 59 French toast, or fairy bread. 1901 5 Feb. Fairy bread. Put two ounces of loaf sugar into a pint of milk, [etc.]. 1929 25 Apr. 9/4 The children will start their party with fairy bread and butter and 100's and 1,000's, and cakes. 1981 640/2 Fairy bread, buttered bread sprinkled with hundreds and thousands. 1994 (Nexis) 4 Sept. 142 Overjoyed guests..were greeted with trays of fairy bread and glasses of fizz. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake > small cake > types of small cake 1867 H. C. Selous vii. 63 Fairy cakes always come with birthdays in our house. Papa's fairy cake, and mamma's fairy cake, and ours, and baby's. 1877 May 591/2 American-trimmed peaches with cream, and little fairy cakes. 1967 R. Rendell v. 47 A tea trolley..laden with..strawberries in glass dishes, fairy cakes in paper cases. 1971 9 Jan. 11/1 The occasional fairy cake and cuppa from Mrs. Purdie the tea-lady. 2005 E. Barr (2006) xvi. 163 Fiona called round with a Tupperware dish of fairy cakes. 1627 M. Drayton Nimphidia in 134 To the Fayrie Court they went, With mickle ioy and merriment. a1649 W. Drummond (1656) 174 To..know the Sports Of forraine Shepheards, Fawns, and Fairy Courts. a1795 S. Bishop (1796) I. 89 And ever as they meet, their ire Sets the whole Fairy-Court on fire. 1880 M. Douglas viii. 70 I'm only the Lord Chancellor of the Fairy Court. 1922 G. Gibbs vi. 99 Girls..dressed as the pages of some sort of Fairy Court. 2004 S. Clarke (2005) xxv. 299 The Raven King..was educated at a fairy court and learnt his magic there. 1863 R. Browning By Fireside in 59 The fairy-cupped Elf-needled mat of moss. society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > bicycle > other types of bicycle 1920 13 Dec. 5/6 (advt.) The ‘fairycycle’. A toy of rare attraction..suitable for child of 6 to 12 years old. 1928 2 June 7/3 The boy was pushing his fairy cycle near his home when a collision occurred between two motor-cars, one of which killed him. 2003 (Nexis) 2 Dec. 38 I was in seventh heaven the Christmas I saw that little fairy cycle with its hard rimmed wheels standing at the bottom of the stairs. the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > herb or herbaceous plant > [noun] > herbage or grass > fairy-ring 1676 J. Evelyn 149 A florid green Circle, or Fairy-Dance at the bottom. 1723 J. Robe 60 You'd have me busy'd in a Fairy Dance After imaginary Crowns. 1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland ii. xxv. 51 The twinkling fairy-dance of light and shade. 1866 Jan. 37 The Northumbrian Auwis-bore, Elf-bore, Fairy Dance, Fairy Hillock, Fairy Ring. 1920 1 Jan. 17/1 From the tree the beautiful Fairy Queen..watched the fairy dances. 2004 C. Dewdney ix. 195 If by chance someone comes upon fairies dancing at night, he must never join the fairy dance. 1840 R. Browning ii, 71 He strewed A fairy dust upon that multitude. 1911 J. M. Barrie iii. 43 No one can fly unless the fairy dust has been blown on him. 1999 31 July 6/1 Local bodies trying to kid themselves that, overnight and with enough fairydust, they can morph into slick corporations. 2004 24 May (Central ed.) b2/4 Our challenge is to articulate to Wall Street that there is a Yahoo inside of AOL..so that some of that Internet fairy dust gets sprinkled on AOL. 1869 J. C. Atkinson Fairy finger-marks, hollow marks in limestone as if fingers had been pressed upon the stones when soft. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > candy-floss 1857 E. A. Lewis 25 Her hair is fair as the fairy floss, Her skin like ivory. 1878 6 Oct. 5/4 (advt.) Best Berlin Zephyr Worsteds,..Saxony yarns, Shetland wools, Crimped fairy floss. 1898 27 Aug. (Suppl.) 1/6 Just a wee little thing with my first snow-white pinafore.., and my fluffy, light hair blowing like fairy floss in the wind. 1904 (U.S. Patent Office) 21 June 2228/1 Candy. Electric Candy Machine Co., Nashville... Fairy Floss. 1905 1 Oct. (News Mag. Suppl.) 5/4 The breezes steal the fairy floss from ripened milkweed pod. 1949 1 Dec. 4/4 Today we have a fairy floss prosperity on a milk bar economy... We haven't got the coal and steel, but we have a lot of frothy activity that contributes little to our community life. 1962 24 Feb. 24/8 (advt.) Be sure to see our display of Harding Kroy Yarn, Baby Wools, Fairy Floss, the new bulky yarns, and others. 2008 T. Jordan xi. 138 We walk through the school grounds, past children with fairy floss on sticks. 1698 J. Fryer 88 The Grant of the East to the Portugal, and West-Indies to the Spaniard. Nevertheless this Fairy Gift was the Ground of a long and tedious Quarrel in each of the World's Ends. 1793 T. Pennant 90 I..find nothing in it but good sound doctrine... I cannot but consider it as a fairy-gift. 1851 C. Brontë 21 July (2000) II. 667 These Cornhill-parcels have something of the magic charm of a fairy-gift about them. 1929 M. Brandeis i. i. 13 The wee word ‘why’ Is a fairy gift To little babes at birth, It opens wide the wonder world To every child on earth. 2012 (Nexis) 29 June When I read my poems to any audience..there's a lot of laughing, but I always warn them that it's a fairy gift and will turn scary when they get it home. the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > patronage > [noun] > patron 1847 24 Apr. 412/1 He is a foundling brat..rescued from starvation by a fairy godfather. 1886 1 May 205/1 One day..her Fairy Godfather suddenly appeared before her. 1917 Dec. 654/1 Christmas is the children's day and Santa Claus the ‘fairy godfather’ of childhood. 1959 M. Steen i. iv. 65 The little old fairy godfather was nicely covering the sherry he offered his visitors. 2010 1 Feb. 58/1 The champion scene-maker became her own fairy godfather. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iii. iii. 119 This is Faiery Gold boy..: vp with't, keepe it close. View more context for this quotation 1678 T. Rymer iii. vi. 36 Chymist..With wishing eyes pursues his Faiery Gold. 1737 8 He may fancy himself very Rich..but when he comes to a Foreign Market, he will find it all imaginary veryfying his Grandam's Tales of Fairy-Gold. 1798 H. M. Williams I. 17 Their magnificent commercial profits were a sort of fairy-gold, which, when touched, turned to sand. 1888 4 Aug. 97/2 The Cohen wealth had disappeared..like so much fairy-gold. 1916 F. S. Oliver 6 Words stumble after truth, like children chasing a rainbow across a meadow to find the pot of fairy gold. 2008 J. Lathrop 183 It might be like fairy gold: it might disappear in the morning. the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > herb or herbaceous plant > [noun] > herbage or grass > fairy-ring 1819 July 19 He wha tills the fairy green, Nae luck again sall hae. 1872 Sept. 290/1 The fairy green lay in the heart of the forest. 1912 H. Mackay 133 Marah told them of Fairy Greens and Druid wells. 1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. ii. xvii. f. 92v/2, in R. Holinshed I Much of their coyne also is to be founde, and some peeces..are dayly taken vppe, which they call borowe pence, dwarfes mony, hegges pence, feiry groates, Iewes money. 1721 tr. M.-C. D'Aulnoy I. 55 The Horse..carry'd her to the Fairy's Grotto as swift as a Bird flies in the Air. 1786 17 July 1/2 (advt.) The Whim; Or, Fairy of the Cave... The whole to conclude with a grand view of the Fairy Grotto. 1837 v. 155 The rock has assumed the form of a huge gigantic human figure,..which looks like the presiding genius of this fairy grotto. 1862 E. L. Blanchard i. 1 I wonder where Queen Mab has got to, Out of the way in her fairy grotto? 1968 29 Apr. 49/2 One Christmas..he had turned Bendel's into a beautiful and fascinating fairy grotto with miles of silver paper and thousands of tiny lights. 2009 (Lonely Planet) 316/1 Once you've descended the 20-odd metres into the crystalline waters of this fairy grotto, there's a most serene sense of being removed from the world. the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > herb or herbaceous plant > [noun] > herbage or grass > fairy-ring 1627 M. Drayton Nimphidia in 119 In their courses make that Round, In Meadowes..found, Of them so call'd the Fayrie ground. 1798 J. Grant & W. Leslie iii. 127 Skeletons of human bodies have been accidentally dug up, and this has given rise to many fairy hillocks and grounds where witches met together. 1808 J. Jamieson Fairy-hillocks..verdant knolls..from the vulgar idea that these were anciently inhabited by the fairies, or that they used to dance there. 1891 J. Macdougall (Notes) 300 On arriving at the pasture he sat down on a..fairy hillock, and soon afterwards saw the Maiden of the golden ringlets..approaching him. 1992 (Nexis) 6 Mar. 34 Mike McShane..founders on fairy hillocks. 1597 C. Middleton iv. sig. F3 A mighty ragged Rocke, wherein was a faire fashioned sword,..where this fairie King told them they were all to approue their forces at the pulling of it. 1632 P. Hausted v. v. sig. L4 Perhaps the fairy King Will take some pawse, study a while, consult With his Queene Mab. 1725 J. Arbuckle Let. 30 Oct. in (1729) I. xxxi. 254 Earthly Damsels..made Concubines to Fairy Kings. 1881 1 Jan. 3/2 We hardly notice Oberon and Titania, or even Pactolet, as he begs the Fairy King to help him. 1999 (Nexis) 22 Apr. The..modern obsession with..alien abductions is..an updating of the old legends, with their fairy kings and queens whisking hapless mortals away with them. c1330Fairy kniȝt [see Compounds 1b]. 1592 A. Munday tr. E. de Maisonneufve xii. sig. D The fayrie Knight..answered. Ladie, right glad am I that I haue slaine the monster. 1627 M. Drayton 171 Pigwiggen was this Fayrie Knight, One wondrous gracious in the sight Of faire Queene Mab, which day and night, He amorously obserued. 1785 S. E. Brydges 22 To turn the page of heroes old, Of fairy Knights, and Barons bold. 1827 31 Mar. 60/1 He seemed to her rather like the apparition of some fairy knight of her favourite legends, than a man of this world. 1905 A. Lang 221 Oberon bade one of his fairy knights to bring him his golden cup. 2005 (Nexis) 7 Aug. l28 Kaye comes across a wounded man..with a strange arrow sticking from his side. The man turns out to be Roiben, a fairy knight. the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > [noun] > containing a candle 1878 25 Aug. 4/2 Promenade Concert in Italian Garden. Illumination by Fairy Lamps. 1891 Five fairy lamps. a1941 V. Woolf (1950) 205 In the Amusement Compound..they light a horse-shoe of fairy-lamps above the Jack and Jill. 1992 J. Torrington ix. 73 Everywhere I glanced my eyes were strobed by gleam and glint, the shimmering of festive foils, fairy lamps, and paper bunting. 1770 56 Little skill'd of fairy lore. 1858 Oct. 614/1 Its people were..full of the fairy lore of olden times. 1929 Dec. 79/2 An excellent addition for a library of fairy lore. 1998 E. Davis (1999) viii. 248 Celtic fairy lore bulges with enchanted landscapes. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > mythical creature or object > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [noun] > that which is unimportant > insubstantial > showy or fanciful but insubstantial 1616 S. S. iv. sig. H3 I thought this faiery mony would nere thriue. 1690 J. Locke i. iv. 36 Such borrowed Wealth, like Fairy-money..will be but Leaves and Dust when it comes to use. 1783 Apr. 312 His boasted skill in finance seems to have partaken of the nature of fairy money; and when it was called into use, vanished from the touch. 1849 E. Bulwer-Lytton III. xvii. vi. 238 Half-suspecting they must already have turned into withered leaves, like fairy money. 1896 E. Owen 81 In certain parts of Wales it was believed that Fairy money, on close inspection, would be found to be cockle shells. 2006 (Nexis) 27 Nov. 13 The..£200million that was to bail out the housing department will not disappear. It isn't like the fairy money the little folk paid their bills with. 1789 142 Nor weak each fairy mound the semblance shews—Its summit glowing thro' surrounding snows. 1816 J. Hogg ii. l. 72 At eve, they lean'd upon the flowery sward, On fairy mound that overlooks the Tay. 1934 24 July 8/7 Tales and legends of the entrance of humans into fairy mounds in Scotland, where they were instructed in supernatural secrets, are numerous enough. 2009 C. Andrews 332 If a housewife with an ailing family member left cream or bread by the fairy mound at night, she often found a cup of fairy moonshine with curative powers on her doorstep the next morning. 1655 T. Ady 129 There be also often found in Women with Childe..certain spots black and blew, as if they were pinched or beaten, which some common ignorant people call Fairy-nips. 1672 13 Though he want the wounds, he may have fairy nips, that are as bad. 1859 VII. 402/1 The ignis fatuus was termed the elf fire, other luminous appearances fairy sparks, moles or other defects on the person fairy nips or elvish marks. 2005 M. Gaskill (2007) (Epilogue) 276 Others had been convicted for having warts, verrucas, swollen tonsils, and ‘fairy-nips’. 1722 P. Aubin tr. L.-G. Gillot de Beacour II. iii. 17 He stopp'd in a Dressing-Room, which to me appear'd a little enchanted Place, or part of a Fairy Palace. 1775 H. L. Thrale Jrnl. 12 Oct. in (1832) 113 [His] house is decorated with a Profusion of Expense scarcely to be credited... I was sorry to quit this Fairy Palace. 1832 May 234/1 Strigilde,..a wicked fairy,..places the ring on Almedor's finger, and carries him off to her fairy palace. 1999 18 Nov. (Property section) 13/3 Its highly unusual features..combine in an exuberant fashion that for many people is reminiscent of the ‘fairy palaces’ of the Rhine, which Dromore actually pre-dates. the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > smoking > articles or materials used in smoking > [noun] > pipe > clay-pipe 1829 J. T. Brockett (new ed.) 111 Fairy-pipes, small tobacco pipes, of an ancient and clumsy form, frequently found in ploughed fields in the North of England. 1835 4 28/2 What became of this fairy pipe, how destroyed, or how lost, I know not. 1890 Apr. 186/1 Fairy pipes seem to be pretty well distributed in these islands wherever there are old mounds, old rubbish heaps, or undisturbed foundations. 1985 30 Mar. 33/2 Some [clay pipes], known as ‘fairy pipes’, are so small that it is difficult to imagine how they could have provided more than a few seconds' smoking. the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > perfection > [noun] > perfect person or thing > specific society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > fitness for marriage > [noun] > marriageable person > man desirable or ideal as husband 1616 B. Jonson Oberon 976 in I Chaster language. These are nights Solemne, to the shining rites Of the Fayrie Prince. 1721 T. Tickell 22 He strides indignant; and with haughty cries, To single fight the Fairy Prince defies. 1840 July 99/2 Caroline..had set him down for her divinity, her wondrous fairy prince. 1911 ‘I. Hay’ xii. 194 A purely hypothetical fairy prince, composed of equal parts of Peer of the Realm, Lifeguardsman, Mr Sandow, Lord Byron, and the Bishop of London, whom she had cherished in..her heart. 1966 J. Gloag xlix. 415 It was Mr Maddox this, Mr Maddox that. You'd have thought he was the fairy prince the way she carried on. 1999 (Nexis) 28 Mar. vii. 14/1 Alma..falls in love for the first time with her fairy prince, the 36-year-old premier Secessionist painter Gustav. 1713 H. Felton 50 She is cloistered up..like a Fairy Princess in an enchanted Castle. 1829 L. E. Landon 159 O Bertha, you are beautiful to-night ! My fairy Princess, with your golden hair. 1937 6 Nov. 852/2 A fairy princess who wanted to behave like a mortal child for a change. 2010 F. Brown 77 I have always been drawn to the kind of person who lurks on the fringes, the kind of ugly ones who would think I am a fairy princess. 1918 T. R. Dawson in Dec. 85/2 This lack..of a definite recognition has undoubtedly prejudiced the natural development of the Fairy problem. 1984 86/1 For fairy problems he [sc. T. R. Dawson] invented new pieces... The small band of fairy problem devotees. 1999 B. Hochberg (2005) 9 Helpmates, selfmates, and other varieties fall into a category called heterodox, or ‘fairy’ problems. 1810 A. Cunningham et al. 298 At the first approach of summer is held the Fairy Rade. 1818 J. Hogg II. 132 There have been fairy raids i' the Hope. 1907 23 Feb. 260/2 We..soon saw it was the Fairy-raid. We cowered down till they passed. 1965 R. Tongue & K. Briggs 120 She seems like a stray member of the Fairy Rade. 2007 G. Dunwich v. 99 Janet..waits for the elfin knight to come on his ‘milk-white steed’ in the Fairy Rade. 1673 J. Ray S. & E. Countrey Words in 65 Fairy-sparks or Shel-fire: Kent: often seen on clothes in the night. 1859 VII. 402/1 The ignis fatuus was termed the elf fire, other luminous appearances fairy sparks. 1875 W. D. Parish Fairy-sparks, phosphoric light seen on various substances in the night-time. 1987 380 Biogenic gas..is responsible..for marsh gas and fairy sparks. 1607 W. Barksted sig. C5v She shewd her loue in dumb shewes with out tung, her lust she knew (yet hardly it concealde) like Fayries Treasur's vanish'd if reueal'd. 1642 F. Kynaston 94 To those we love..From Diamantine chests we use to bring Gold, Jewels, and whole heaps of fairy treasure. 1698 J. Norris IV. 23 Every Man keeps it [sc. Religion] as a Fairy-Treasure. 1757 M. Postlethwayt (1967) ii. 50 Those few..will have it in their power to..leave only a little fairey Treasure in the hands of the ignorant. 1830 C. Norton 221 The dreams of glory Kept fading from us like a fairy treasure. 1856 Sept. 304/1 It was not an inexhaustible fairy treasure—it was only a hundred and fifty pounds. 1924 H. D. Sykes x. 204 There is an allusion to fairy's treasure, which vanishes if its possessor reveals it. 1957 68 275 It is very rash to attempt to steal fairy treasure. 2011 S. Harper 25 A demon tries to steal the fairy treasure and open the mystic gate. the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > herb or herbaceous plant > [noun] > herbage or grass > fairy-ring 1687 (Royal Soc.) 16 207 The circles in Grasse called commonly Fairy Walkes. 1766 D. Y. tr. G.-F. P. de Saint-Foix II. 114 The wonderfull magick of the fairy wand [Fr. baguette] in raising palaces, no longer appears fictitious, when we behold the efficacy of the wallet. 1804 20 Aug. 4/2 The knowledge of the alphabet is in reality the possession of a fairy wand of most stupendous power. 1910 L. F. Baum iv. 46 They haven't much of an army in Oz, but the princess..has a fairy wand; and..Dorothy has your Magic Belt. 2012 (Nexis) 20 Aug. s1 The country's elites..seize upon some untried idea in the hope that it might be the magic bullet or fairy wand that fixes the country's myriad problems. 1638 W. Davenant 110 So what he gave, conceal'd, in private came, (As in the dark) from one that had no name; Like Fayries wealth, not given to restore, Or if reveal'd, it visited no more. 1652 O. Felltham 26 She falls off like fairy wealth disclosed. 1743 W. Major 72 Mistaken Youth! To Pride thou fall'st a Martyr; For Fairy-Wealth with Freedom's Loss to barter. 1915 M. Johnston xv. 216 Splashed gold from the sun lay here and there like fairy wealth. 2000 51 290 Once a mortal discloses gifts of fairy wealth, he forfeits any future gifts. ?1785 (new ed.) 179 Some faithful youth's..parting sigh, On fairy wings to distant plains is borne. 1818 Oct. 78/2 No more is seen the radiant fold Of Fairy-wings bedropt with gold. 1836 ii. 39 Lo! the spring Flits away on fairy wing. 1916 N. A. Smith in K. D. Wiggin & N. A. Smith p. xi I watch The elfin host come trooping by, And hear the whir of fairy wings. 1980 Mar. 127/2 The hefty ballerinas wearing fairy wings. 2002 (Nexis) 28 Jan. 15 My granddaughter came to see me yesterday, still wearing her fairy wings and tiara. 2012 (Nexis) 16 Dec. (Living section) 20 Tinker Bell wants to follow them [to winter wonderland], but..it's forbidden for fear she'll lose her fairy-wings to frostbite. C3. In (often colloquial or regional) names of plants, fungi, fossils, archaeological artefacts, etc., thought to resemble items used by, left by, or belonging to fairies, or which are particularly small or delicate. The number of regional names for the foxglove with fairy as the first element is notable: many have precedents or parallels in Celtic languages. See also fairy bells n. 1. a. Compounds in which fairy is the sole or predominant form of the first element. the world > life > biology > organism > fossil > [noun] > types of society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow > prehistoric arrow-head 1794 W. Sutherland in J. Sinclair X. 15 The common people confidently assert that they [sc. celts] are fairies' arrows, which they shoot at cattle. 1800 Feb. 107 The Belemnites, called by the Germans alphen-schos, i.e. fairy arrows. 1803 at Lauder Adderstones, and arrow points of flint, commonly called elf or fairy arrows. 1903 26 Nov. 2802/1 The neolithic arrow heads are called ‘fairy arrows’, saigheadon shith, or ‘elf shots’. 1995 I. E. Tattersall i. 8 Flaked flint tools..were..petrified thunderbolts, fairy arrows, exhalations of the clouds. the world > life > biology > organism > fossil > [noun] > types of the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Echinodermata > [noun] > division Pelmatozoa > class Crinoidea > fossil or encrinite > fragments or joints of 1767 J. Petiver I. 11/2 (table) Flat fairy beads. 1896 28 206 Bead-stone is also called St. Cuthbert's beads, Fairy beads..and St. Boniface's money. 1960 H. H. Swinnerton xvi. 87 Portions of the stems of stone-lilies are quite common. Associated with them and lying about loosely are a number of the ring-like sections of stems, popularly known as ‘fairy beads’. 1968 K. Roberts 172 She grew bored and scampered off to..pick the crinoid fossils from the rocks and give them him for fairy beads. 1824 T. C. Croker v. 83 The beautiful plant Digitalis Purpurea is named ‘Fairy Cap’ by the vulgar, from the supposed resemblance of its bells to this part of fairy dress. 1858 C. C. Wilkinson 83 The foxglove, in Cornwall, is the ‘fairy's cap’. 1904 A. Henkel 22 Foxglove.., fairy cap, fairy fingers, fairy thimbles, fairy bells, [etc.] 2007 L. S. Nelson et al. (ed. 2) 150 Digitalis purpurea.., Fairy Cap, Fairy Glove [etc.] the world > life > biology > organism > fossil > [noun] > types of the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Malvaceae (mallows and allies) > [noun] the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Echinodermata > [noun] > division Pelmatozoa > class Crinoidea > fossil or encrinite > fragments or joints of 1869 J. Bolton p. iv The single ossicula of the columns of the Encrinites [were called] ‘fairy cheeses’. 1878 J. Britten & R. Holland 173 Fairy cheeses, Malva rotundifolia... (York). 1955 G. Grigson 99 Fairy cheeses, Som, Yks; flibberty gibbet, Som. 2008 J. A. McLeod iv. 112/2 Lady's Cheeses, Common Mallow, Fairy Cheeses or Bread and Cheese (Malva sylvestris). the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Echinodermata > [noun] > subphylum Eleutherozoa > class Echinoidea > member of (sea-urchin) > parts of > spine or fossil spine 1708 (Royal Soc.) 26 78 (advt.) The Ecknite Spoke, or Fairy Cucumber. the world > plants > particular plants > fungi > [noun] > cup-mushroom and allies the world > plants > particular plants > lichen > [noun] > other lichens the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > primrose and allied flowers > cowslip 1855 A. Wood viii. 16/1 A common lichen of our stone walls..various little cup-like forms... Country children know them well, and call them fairy cups. 1860 Nov. 399 Even the pale cowslip showed its fairy cups in cool sequestered nooks. 1873 2 17 The beautiful little red fungus , growing on dead sticks, like cups of coral (the peziza coccinea), are called fairy cups. 1919 June 286/2 An astonishingly lovely fungus called Fairy-cups. 1962 28 Feb. 5/3 Some of the miniature flower-like plants used are lichens such as fairy cups and scarlet firecrackers. 2001 (Nexis) 16 May 34 It [sc. the cowslip] has more than 40 local names including hey-flower, peggle, St Peter's keys, fairy cups, palsywort and milk maidens. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > mythical creature or object > [noun] society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow > prehistoric arrow-head 1684 in T. Birch (1757) IV. 304 The stones, which the [Irish] country people call elf-darts, or fairy darts. 1782 474 Account of the Fairy dart, with a drawing of one. 1870 E. C. Brewer 284/1 Fairy-darts, flint arrow-heads now called celts. 1906 9 6/2 The fairy darts..are beautifully carved, and appear to be made of jade. 1979 N. Scheper-Hughes (1982) i. 21/1 The arrowheads from the battle are still to be found... Older villagers attribute the postpartum wasting sickness of cows to these ‘fairy darts’. 1860 J. F. Campbell I. Introd. p. ix Fishermen..often find certain hard light floating objects..which they call sea-nuts..and fairy-eggs... Botanists..set themselves to study even fairy-eggs; and believing them to be West Indian seeds, stranded in Europe, they planted them. 1970 J. McPhee 145 The large seeds of a treelike West Indian plant called entada scandens have drifted to the shores of Colonsay for thousands of years, and they have always been called fairy eggs. 1998 F. J. Simoons 443 Because Molluka beans served among superstitious folk in Scotland as amulets and are egg-shaped, the name ‘fairy eggs’ was..applied to them. the world > life > biology > organism > fossil > [noun] > types of the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Cephalopoda > [noun] > order Dibranchiata > section Decapoda > family Belemnitidae > member of the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > foxglove and allied flowers > foxglove 1780 J. A. de Luc II. xl. 414 On trouve aussi ce fossile [sc. bélemnite] jusques sur les côtes. Il y en a en abondance dans celles de Charmouth, dont les habitans les nomment fairies fingers. 1811 Dec. 511 Fairy Fingers (Digitalis purpurea) flowering. 1860 H. Keddie vi. 84 Noble rods of purple lussmore—the dangerous fairies' fingers. 1952 R. L. Taylor (1959) 39 Folk names are too numerous to list; most of them refer to the fingerlike shape of the corolla—fairy fingers, folks' gloves, and lady's thimble. 2007 D. Rayburn 192 Dead Men's Bells, Digitalis, Fairy's Fingers, Lion's Mouth, and Purple Foxglove. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > rosaceous plants > [noun] > linum or fairy-flax 1737 R. M. Let. 3 Jan. in (1739) 1 260 Stree, Fairy-Flax, and other hurtful Seeds, slip thro' between the Wyres. 1849 S. W. Landor 27 ‘There is a nice stalk of fairy-flax for you Cousin Julia’, said Nannie. 1966 J. Sankey iii. 30 Those clearly intolerant [of trampling] are: fairy flax, rough hawkbit, mouse-ear hawkweed and salad burnet. 2003 F. Shaw 140 Buttercup and speedwell, horseshoe vetch to bring you luck. Orchids and dandelions, fairy flax to weave. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > foxglove and allied flowers > foxglove 1839 H. M. Owen Mem. in (1840) I. 85 Its pretty Welsh name, Menyg Ellyllon, fairies' gloves, from which some learned authorities have traced its common appellation as a corruption of folk's glove.] 1841 F. S. Osgood 260 Fairy's Glove, or Foxglove. 1866 J. Cundall 284 It derives its name from the resemblance the blossom bears to a glove; it seems to have been known of old as ‘folks' gloves’—that is, fairy gloves. 1870 E. S. Rand 86 Common Names. Foxglove, Fairies' glove. 1920 July 293 Digitalis purpurea, Fox glove or Fairy glove, is a biennial plant, growing wild in central and southern Europe. 2010 J. McVicar 113 (caption) Digitalis purpurea. Foxglove, fairy gloves. A hardy biennial. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > [noun] > quaking-grass 1846 18 Sept. 8/4 We noticed the China-aster, a large variety of beautiful dahlias, pansies, fairy grass, verbenas [etc.] 1904 N. L. Colgan 300 Fairy Grass. Briza media. Quaking Grass. 1919 43 702 Aira caryophyllea L., (Fairy Grass). 2012 (Nexis) 29 Mar. 5 The insect outbreak, as well as a problem with overgrown fairy grass, has twice this year created potentially dangerous signal failures. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > mythical creature or object > [noun] society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > types of tools generally > prehistoric tool > [noun] > types of 1815 C. I. Johnstone II. 240 (note) Fairy-hammers are pieces of green porphyry, shaped like the head of a hatchet. 1901 M. P. Milne-Home 115 Small stone hatchets, sometimes found in Scotland, go by the name of ‘Fairy Hammers’. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > rosaceous plants > [noun] > linum or fairy-flax 1859 M. A. Denham 5 The purging flax—Linum catharticum. The same with Fairy-lint. 1951 S. H. Bell ii. iii. 118 Over the wall of the rath between the roots of the thorns the white blossomed fairy lint broke in foam as though a sea of flowers tossed outside. 1986 C. McGlinchey et al. x. 87 They gathered seven stalks of sidhe lint or fairy lint. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Echinodermata > [noun] > subphylum Eleutherozoa > class Echinoidea > fossil 1827 1 Dec. 372/2 The rustics..particularly regarded a kind of fossil-stone, which much resembled a sea-egg petrified.., and termed them fairy loaves. 1870 E. C. Brewer 284/2 Fairy-loaves,..fossil sea-urchins.., said to be made by the fairies. 1920 H. Bayley ii. 65 There is still a current legend that whoso keeps at home a specimen of the fairy loaf will never lack bread. 2011 K. McNamara viii. 129 Fairy loaves were therefore, perhaps, spiritual food to sustain the spirits into the Otherworld and to ensure their immortality. the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > fairy-moss fern or part 1840 J. Hodgson & J. Raine III. 361/2 Trichostomum polyphillum, Many-headed Fairy-moss. 1938 F. Perry ix. 134 The Azollas are so dainty in appearance that the English name of Fairy Moss is no misnomer. 1999 R. R. Archibald ii. 40 The portions nearest the ground are covered with lichens that merge into ‘fairy moss’ where the rocks submerge into earth. 2004 Dec. 9/3 The azolla weevil has been released into the river Lambourn in Berkshire to combat the fast-spreading fairy moss, Azolla filiculoides. the world > plants > particular plants > fungi > [noun] > agaricus fungi the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > harmful or parasitic fungi > [noun] > poisonous fungi the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > hallucinogenic drug > magic mushroom 1784 Alphabet. Catal. Eng. & Sc. Names Plants in tr. C. Linnaeus (1785) II Fairy Mushroom, Agaricus cor. 1850 T. Keightley (new ed.) 363 The pretty tiny conical mushrooms which grow so abundantly in Ireland are called Fairy-mushrooms. 1884 W. Miller 137 Toadstool..Fairy-Mushroom. Any of the poisonous Fungi. 1900 E. M. Dallas & C. A. Burgin 24 The species called the Fairy mushroom, Marasmius oreades, is the most familiar of all those that grow in rings. 1911 Oct. 570 No country-bred person, and I should think few town-bred ones, would be likely to mistake a fairy mushroom for the genuine edible kind. 2003 (Nexis) 26 July These are not to be confused with the Fairy Mushrooms collected for their hallucinogenic properties. society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > stone as material for paving > a paving stone > others 1787 8 364 Some small stone cubes..which the country people called fairy pavements. 1874 26 June 8/4 Major Rooke, by comparing..‘fairy pavements’, which for centuries had been tossed from hand to hand, was led to believe in the existence of a Roman villa. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > foxglove and allied flowers > foxglove 1864 L. H. Grindon 410 These freckled caverns are often large enough to admit the end of the finger, and being contracted at the extremity next the calyx, like a waist, have obtained the name, with the Cheshire children, of ‘Fairies' petticoats’. 1895 Jan. 47/1 In Cheshire its [sc. foxglove's] native name is fairy petticoats. 2006 A. Franklin v. 106 The common name ‘foxglove’ may be a corruption of ‘folksglove’, the glove of the Good Folk or fairies... This has given rise to many of the plant's folk names: Fairy's Glove, Fairy's Cap, Fairy's Thimbles, Fairy Petticoats, Fairy Weed [etc.] 1863 1 109 Primula Mistassinica—Fairy Primrose. 1915 M. Hampden xxvii. 308 The fairy primrose (primula malacoides), will thrive in almost all counties. 2010 (Nexis) 11 Dec. 23 Look out for the Fairy Primrose, primula malacoides, with its delicate whorls of flowers in shades of white, mauve and pink. the world > plants > particular plants > fungi > [noun] > of unspecified or unidentified type 1877 E. Peacock Fairy-purses, a kind of fungus..something like a cup, or old-fashioned purse. 1883 H. Friend i. 34 In Lincolnshire we find that a kind of fungus like a cup or old-fashioned purse with small objects inside is called a Fairy purse. 1929 M. McKenny 4 In England the country people still call the Bird's Nest Fungus, Fairy Purse, and the scarlet and orange Cup Fungi, Elves' Cups and Fairies' Baths. 1831 D. Sinclair (ed. 12) 244 (table) Rosa..minima, fairy-rose. 1955 G. S. Thomas ix. 78 In 1805, at Colville's nursery in England, Parsons's Pink China gave rise to the Dwarf Pink China, a miniature Rose known in England as the Fairy Rose. 2002 Mar. 7/2 Mother's irises, Aunt Ethel's lilies of the valley, a cut off Dad's pink fairy roses, the clump of forget-me-nots a friend promised to tend. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Echinodermata > [noun] > subphylum Eleutherozoa > class Echinoidea > fossil society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > arrow > [noun] > head of arrow > prehistoric arrow-head the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > silicates > nesosilicates > [noun] > subsaturate group > staurolite 1646 Sir T. Browne ii. i. 53 That we call a Fayrie stone, and is often found in gravell pits amongst us. View more context for this quotation 1791 Ford in J. Sinclair I. 73 Arrow points of flint, commonly called elf or fairy stones are to be seen here [i.e. at Lauder]. 1881 H. Smith & C. R. Smith Fairy stones, fossil echini. 1916 Feb. 172/2 Perhaps the most curious mineral found in the United States is staurolite, otherwise known as ‘fairy stone’. 2006 M. A. Fariello 143 This tiny building houses a unique museum devoted to thousands of examples of the area's fairy stones. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > foxglove and allied flowers > foxglove the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > bellflowers 1813 J. Gamble xxxi. 345 The fox-glove is denominated the fairies' thimble. 1901 J. Weathers 722/2 D. purpurea.—This is the Common Foxglove or Fairy Thimble. 1914 H. H. Thomas xx. 125 C. pusilla.—This well-known and showy little plant from South Europe, of tufted growth, glossy green leaves, and dainty drooping bells of blue, pale blue or white in July, is often called ‘Witches' Thimbles’ or ‘Fairy Thimbles’, and is frequently used as an edging. 2001 (Nexis) 16 June (Features section) 14 Fairy thimbles, dead men's bells, bloody fingers: these are a few of the imaginative names we have given to one of the most handsome plants in the herbal. 2010 C. Stace (ed. 3) 674 C[ampanula] cochleariifolia Lam. Fairy's-thimble. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > foxglove and allied flowers > foxglove 1871 6 135 In Anglo-Irish we call it [sc. the foxglove]..fairy weed. 1996 G. Dunwich iii. 52 The foxglove..has many fairy-inspired nicknames, including fairy fingers, fairy's caps, fairy weed, fairy's thimbles, fairy petticoats, and fairy's glove. b. Compounds in which fairies' is the sole or predominant form of the first element. the world > plants > particular plants > fungi > [noun] > cup-mushroom and allies 1854 Mar. 190 Flora..sought in the hedge-sides for some crimson ‘fairy baths’ to carry home. 1892 Oct. 434 The Peziza coccineus, or fairy bath, a cup of brilliant poppy-red is to be found upon dry sticks. 1929 M. McKenny 4 In England the country people still call the Bird's Nest Fungus, Fairy Purse, and the scarlet and orange Cup Fungi, Elves' Cups and Fairies' Baths. 1979 G. Kibby 78 Coprinus disseminatus (Fairies' Bonnets). 1985 M. Gibson (1986) xviii. 91 Mrs Halibut loved toadstools... Fairies' bonnets, stewed in alcohol, were potent enough to knock down a horse. 2005 28 Sept. 35 Look out also for beautiful clumps of small fairies' bonnets, their bell-shaped grey caps sprouting in large numbers on or near rotting wood. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > parasitic plants > [noun] > dodder 1868 103 197 Cuscuta epithymum, L. Covering the Gorse everywhere; it is called by the [Channel] islanders ‘Fairies' Hair’. 1883 H. Friend i. 34 The good people in Jersey..call a certain flower (Cuscuta Epithymum) Fairies' Hair. 1914 12 343 Cuscuta epithymum... Dodder... From its fine stems it is known in the Channel Islands as Fairies' Hair. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Compositae (composite plants) > [noun] > ragwort 1866 W. Henderson vi. 190 Witches..love the broom and the thorn, and well as the ragwort, which is called in Ireland the fairies' horse, and use them as means for riding about at midnight. 1889 Apr. 829 The large ragwort—known in Ireland as the 'fairies' horse'—has long been sought for by witches when taking their midnight journeys. 1995 9 402/2 Other common English names include stavewort, kettle-dock, felonweed, Fairies' horse, and stinking willy. the world > plants > particular plants > fungi > [noun] > agaricus fungi the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > aquatic, marsh, and sea-shore plants > [noun] > marsh pennywort 1878 J. Britten & R. Holland Fairies Table or Tables, (1) Agaricus campestris..(2) Hydrocotyle vulgaris. 1889 Fairies'-table, in the north of Wales, the common mushroom, Agaricus campestris, and similar fungi. 1955 G. Grigson 207 Pennywort, White Rot. Hydrocotolye vulgaris... Local names. Fairy tables, Ches[hire]. Farthing rot, Norf[olk]. C4. In names of animals, birds, etc., esp. ones which are particularly small, delicate, or attractive. 1890 W. H. Hudson in Feb. 276 The delicate little pink fairy armadillo, the truncated Chlamydophorus, is a dweller in the sand-dunes of Mendoza. 1941 28 956 The skull is very much like that..of the Fairy Armadillo, or Pichiciago (Chlamyphorus truncatus). 1992 K. H. Redford & J. F. Eisenberg II. iii. 57/2 Chlamyphorus (Burmeisteria) retusus... Chacoan Fairy Armadillo, Greater Fairy Armadillo. 2002 I. 19 The smallest is the lesser fairy armadillo, or pink fairy armadillo, which is only 6 inches (15 cm) long. 1933 W. Beebe & J. Tee-Van 139 (heading) Blue and gold fairy basslet. 1985 G. Goodson 17 The fairy basslets (Grammidae family) are small, brilliantly coloured allies of the groupers and seabasses. 1996 M. Snyderman & C. Wiseman 47/1 Strange as it might seem to us, fairy basslets appear to be just as comfortable upside down as rightside up. 2002 D. M. Warren (ed. 2) xx. 362 One species (of family Grammidae) found in the aquarium trade is the royal gramma or fairy basslet, Gramma loreto. 2008 (Nexis) 3 Aug. (Discover section) 5 I can now tell a loggerhead from a hawksbill turtle and a fairy basslet from a harlequin tusk fish. the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > [noun] > member of the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Laridae (gulls and terns) > [noun] > member of genus Sterna (tern) > sterna albifrons (little tern) 1809 G. Shaw VII. i. 398 Fairy Roller. Coracias puella . Native of India, where it is said to be known by the name of the blue Fairy-Bird. 1836 W. Swainson i. iii. 56/1 (table) Irena Horsf. Fairy Bird. 1885 C. Swainson 204 Little Tern..Fairy bird (Galway). 1934 G. Marples & A. Marples 15 The common names [of the Little Tern] are those generally used for the genera... Little mow (mew), Knat, and Sea-mouse refer to its size; and Fairy-bird to its grace and beauty. 2007 C. Mavor vi. 266 The nesting bank of the little sea swallow (sometimes called a hooded tern, or a sterna minuta, or a little tern or, my favorite, a fairy bird) can become riddled with holes all over. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Parasitica > member of superfamily Chalcidoidea > member of family Myrmaridae (fairy-fly) 1884 Jan. p. ii (advt.) The fairy fly. Polynema. Prepared without pressure. 1903 W. F. Kirby p. xxxvi/1 The smallest of all known insects are some parasitic Hymenoptera belonging to the family Mymaridæ, which lay their eggs in those of other insects... They are popularly known as ‘Fairy Flies’. 1949 II. 82/2 The Fairy Flies, which include the smallest known insects, are Chalcids that spend their larval life inside the eggs of other insects, feeding on the contents. 2005 18 Aug. 12/4 The specimens..range in size from the barely visible fairy fly, Alaptus magnanimus.., to the world's largest moth, Thysania agrippina. the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > non-arboreal (larks, etc.) > [noun] > family Hirundinidae > genus Petrochelidan > other types of 1842 J. Gould (1848) II. Pl. 15 The Fairy Martin..although enjoying a most extensive range, appears to have an antipathy to the country near the sea. 1883 A. Newton in XV. 581/2 The ordinary Martin of Australia is the Hirundo or Hylochelidon nigricans of most ornithologists, and another and more beautiful form is the Ariel or Fairy-Martin of the same country, Hirundo or Lagenoplastes ariel. 1935 52 109 The photographs of the mud, retort-like, nests of the Fairy Martins..present the unusual in bird life. 2009 C. Ayris iv. 24 There were several fairy martin nests clinging to the angle between the roof and walls. the world > animals > birds > order Sphenisciformes or penguin > [noun] > eudyptula minor 1848 J. Gould VII. Pl. 85 Spheniscus undina, Gould. Fairy Penguin. 1901 A. J. Campbell II. 1012 The Fairy Penguin is the smallest of its singular tribe. 1966 G. Durrell ii. 79 Fairy Penguins appeared in small groups and hopped their way up the rocks towards their nest burrows. 2004 25 Sept. 38/2 Visitors can bathe off white beaches that are deserted..and, in the evenings, watch the fairy penguins at Penneshaw. the world > animals > birds > order Procellariiformes > [noun] > member of family Procellariidae (petrel) > member of genus Pachyptila (prion) 1885 244 Prion ariel, Gould. Fairy Prion. 1930 W. R. B. Oliver 114 Fairy Prion... Pachyptila turtur. The Fairy Prion was first discovered in Bass Strait. 1966 G. Durrell ii. 79 Then the Fairy Prions—delicate little swallow-like petrels—started to arrive. 2004 T. Wheeler 54 The fairy prion (Pachyptila turtur ) and thin-billed prion (Pachyptila belcheri ) have narrow bills. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Crustacea > [noun] > miscellaneous types the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Crustacea > [noun] > miscellaneous types > member of genus Chirocephalus 1857 A. White 263 The Fairy Shrimp seems to live on dead animal or vegetable matter. 1901 M. C. Dickerson iii. 280 The rainbow-colored fairy shrimps gliding slowly and gracefully through the icy waters of some March pool. 1938 H. Mellanby vii. 70 In Britain there is only one species of fairy shrimp which is found commonly, and this is Chirocephalus diaphanus. 2003 10 Nov. 11/2 Close to 97 percent of the country's vernal pools—the seasonal pools filled by rain that support endangered fairy shrimp—are gone. 1869–73 T. R. Jones tr. A. E. Brehm IV. Index 296 The Fairy Terns (Gygis)..; the White or Silky Tern (G. candida). 1889 A. J. North 358 Sternula nereis, Gould. Fairy Tern. 1926 C. W. Beebe ix. 228 Scores of sea-birds—frigate birds, boobies, and pure white fairy terns. 1966 R. A. Falla et al. 163 Fairy Terns reappear at breeding grounds in September. 2007 J. L. Gould & C. G. Gould vi. 158 The fairy tern places a single egg on a tiny depression in a thin branch overhead. a1825 E. A. Franklin in (1826) 10 357 This day..Must every year behold agen, On these bleak shores the fairy-wren, While hundreds scour each barren heath To work one helpless creature's death. 1894 C. Aldrich 83 Malurus longicaudatus... Long-tailed fairy wren. 1941 30 Jan. 8/6 The fairy wren, the dainty sprite, Whose beauty fills me with delight. 1997 E. A. Lawrence iv. 105 The strong tradition of the ‘Fairy-Wren’ on the Isle of Man and the revenge taken against her each year. 2009 (Nexis) 22 Nov. 38 See the sapphire flash of a fairy wren, small and surprising like the native orchids that arrive in the spring. Derivatives 1615 R. Brathwait 114 Fayry-like we therefore shun them. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. iv. 57 Let them all encircle him about, And Fairy-like to pinch the vncleane Knight. View more context for this quotation 1713 R. Blackmore & J. Hughes (1714) v. 31 The Nymphs, the Fairy-like Goddesses of the Lakes and Rivers. a1764 C. Churchill (1765) 7 Let Them dance, fairy like, round Ossian's tomb. 1841 C. Dickens i. i. 47 So slight and fairy-like a creature. 1879 J. Dowson 20 The Apsarases..are fairylike beings. 1918 J. Clarke xvi. 237 It is a winding fairy-like walk up a smart incline to the foot of the falls. 1941 30 June 82 We look down upon a land of intricate and fairylike beauty. 1995 (Nexis) 5 Mar. 1 f A ghost orchid—the bloom hanging under a pond-apple branch, fairy-like. 2010 N. C. Mailer 2011 xix. 138 A small blue fairy-like thing flitted in and out of the edge of my vision. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022). <  n.adj.c1330 |
