FAIRY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fairy mean? 

• FAIRY (noun)
  The noun FAIRY has 2 senses:

1. a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

2. offensive term for a homosexual man

  Familiarity information: FAIRY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FAIRY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

faerie; faery; fairy; fay; sprite

Hypernyms ("fairy" is a kind of...):

spiritual being; supernatural being (an incorporeal being believed to have powers to affect the course of human events)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fairy"):

brownie; elf; gremlin; hob; imp; pixie; pixy ((folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous)

fairy godmother (a female character in some fairy stories who has magical powers and can bring unexpected good fortune to the hero or heroine)

dwarf; gnome (a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure)

Morgan le Fay ((Arthurian legend) a wicked enchantress who was the half sister and enemy of King Arthur)

Puck; Robin Goodfellow (a mischievous sprite of English folklore)

Oberson ((Middle Ages) the king of the fairies and husband of Titania in medieval folklore)

Titania ((Middle Ages) the queen of the fairies in medieval folklore)

tooth fairy (a fairy that is said to leave money at night under a child's pillow to compensate for a baby tooth falling out)

water nymph; water spirit; water sprite (a fairy that inhabits water)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Offensive term for a homosexual man

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

fag; faggot; fagot; fairy; nance; pansy; poof; poove; pouf; queen; queer

Hypernyms ("fairy" is a kind of...):

gay; homo; homophile; homosexual (someone who is sexually attracted to persons of the same sex)

Domain usage:

depreciation; derogation; disparagement (a communication that belittles somebody or something)

 Context examples 

Few persons ever meet the fairy princes they dream about; but Maria, who worked hard and whose head was hard, never dreaming about fairy princes, entertained hers in the guise of an ex-laundryman.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

There was once an old castle, that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood, and in the castle lived an old fairy.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

It was asleep till the fairy prince came through the wood, and waked it up.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Do you hear me, you fairy spirit?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

"Mademoiselle is a fairy," he said, whispering mysteriously.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

A piece of paper was found on the table this morning—(dropt, we suppose, by a fairy)—containing a very pretty charade, and we have just copied it in.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

To me it was as if I had been wafted to a fairy world, and my uncle might have been some benevolent enchanter in a high-collared, long-tailed coat, who was guiding me about in it.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Mr. Bhaer was Nick Bottom, and Tina was Titania, a perfect little fairy in his arms.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)