Fairies

How to spell fairies

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce fairies

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fairies mean?

1. nounSmall imaginary creatures with magical powers, often shown with delicate wings.

Fairies in a sentence

• The children's book was full of tiny winged fairies who granted wishes.

• The garden centre sold ceramic fairies to hide among the flower beds.

Where does fairies come from?

Language of origin: French

This word descends from the Old French faerie, which originally meant 'enchantment' or 'the realm of magical beings' rather than the small winged creatures we picture today. That noun was built on fae, meaning a fairy or supernatural woman, which traces back to the Latin fata, the plural of fatum, meaning 'that which has been spoken' and by extension 'fate' or 'destiny'. The Fates of classical myth, the goddesses who decided each person's lot, are the true ancestors of the modern fairy. English borrowed the word in the 1300s, and for a long time it described enchantment itself before settling on the tiny magical folk by the 1500s. The plural keeps the regular English rule of turning a final -y into -ies, which is why writers must remember to change the 'y' rather than simply add an 's', and why the word can be confused in sound with 'ferries', the boats.

How the word is built

• fair- (from Old French faerie: enchantment, magic)
• -ies (plural of -y)