Fairyhood

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or condition of being a fairy; the collective realm or community inhabited by fairies; the qualities or attributes characteristic of fairies
2. A condition marked by the nature or existence of fairies; a mythical domain where fairies reside collectively; the essence or traits that define fairy beings
3. The status of belonging to the fairy kind; a magical society or environment of fairies as a group; the inherent features or spirit attributed to fairy entities

Etymology: "Fairyhood" is a plain compound: "fairy" with the suffix "-hood," which English has attached to nouns for centuries to name a state, condition, or collective body, as in "childhood," "brotherhood," or "knighthood." Adding it to "fairy" yields a noun for the condition of being a fairy, the realm where fairies dwell, or the qualities that make a fairy what it is. The base word "fairy" has its own twist: it began as a noun meaning enchantment or magic, from Old French "faerie," and only later came to name the supernatural beings themselves. "Fairyhood" therefore sits on top of a word that once named the spell rather than the creature, so the suffix turns an older sense of enchantment into a statement about the beings and their nature.

Synonyms: fairyland, fairydom, faerie, enchanted realm, fairy realm

Antonyms: reality, mundane, world, earth, real life