fairy ring

n. A circle of mushrooms in a grassy area, marking the periphery of perennial underground mycelial growth.

[From the belief that it is a dancing place for fairies.]

fairy ring

n 1. (Botany) a ring of dark luxuriant vegetation in grassy ground corresponding to the edge of an underground fungal mycelium: popularly associated with the dancing of fairies: seasonally marked by a ring of mushrooms 2. (Botany) short for fairy ring mushroom, Marasmius oreades, a dainty buff-coloured edible basidiomycetous fungus, characteristically forming rings in grassland

fair′y ring`

n. any of numerous mushrooms of meadows and open woods that spread in rings originating from mycelial growth.

Thesaurus

Noun

fairy ring - a ring of fungi marking the periphery of the perennial underground growth of the myceliumfairy circleanchor ring, annulus, doughnut, halo, ring - a toroidal shape; "a ring of ships in the harbor"; "a halo of smoke"

fairy ring

1. a ring of dark luxuriant vegetation in grassy ground corresponding to the edge of an underground fungal mycelium: popularly associated with the dancing of fairies: seasonally marked by a ring of mushrooms 2. short for fairy ring mushroom Marasmius oreades, a dainty buff-coloured edible basidiomycetous fungus, characteristically forming rings in grassland

A man is pulled back before he enters a fairy circle. Drawing by T. H. Thomas, 1880. Courtesy Fortean Picture Library.

Fairy Ring

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

A darkened green ring that sometimes appears in a patch of grass, in lawns and meadows. It is caused by the enrichment of the soil by the mycelium (spawn) of certain fungi, which radiates outward from the center. The ring gradually increases in size, year by year, with mushrooms appearing around the perimeter. Rings up to more than two hundred feet in diameter have been recorded.

In popular folklore these circles of mushrooms, or darkened grass, are the rings in which fairies meet and dance. In many areas it is considered dangerous to fall asleep within the circle, for the fairies will take exception to their space being invaded.

fairy ring

fairy ring

fairy ring

fair′y ring`

fairy ring

fairy ring

Fairy Ring

fairy ring

Synonyms for fairy ring

noun a ring of fungi marking the periphery of the perennial underground growth of the mycelium

Synonyms

Related Words