Fairy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɛəɹi/

Definitions

1. A small, mythical being with magical powers, often depicted with wings and associated with nature or enchantment
2. A diminutive supernatural creature possessing magical abilities, frequently portrayed with wings and connected to natural or mystical phenomena
3. A tiny mythical figure endowed with magical force, commonly shown as winged and linked to enchantment or the natural world

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "fairy" is that it began as a word for an illusion, not a creature. In Middle English, around 1330, "faierie" meant enchantment or a dream, as in a line from the romance "King Alisaunder": "that thou herdest is fairye." Only shortly afterward did it come to name the realm of the fays, and then the people who lived there. The word was built in French. Old French "faerie" was formed from "fae," a form of "fay," itself traced back to Latin "fāta," meaning "goddess of fate," plus the suffix "-erie," which turns a base into a word for a state, practice or domain. So at root the term points to the power of fate and the magic associated with it, before any small winged figure enters the picture. The shift from an abstract noun to a countable one happened gradually. Writers began treating "fairy" as a count noun for individual inhabitants of fairyland as early as the 1390s, but the usage only became common in the 16th century, perhaps because phrases such as "faerie knight" were reinterpreted as referring to a being rather than a place or condition.

Synonyms: sprite, fey, elf, nymph, pixie