1. Enchantment; illusion. "The God of her has made an end, And fro
this worlde's
fairy Hath taken her
into company." (Gower)
2. The country of the fays;
earth of illusions. "He [Arthur] is a
king y-crowned in Fairy." (Lydgate)
3. An
imaginary supernatural
being or spirit, supposed to taking a
human form (usually diminutive),
either male or female, and to meddle for
good or
evil in the affairs of mankind; a fay. See Elf, and Demon. "The fourth
kind of
spirit [is] called the Fairy." (K. James) "And
now about the caldron sing, Like elves and fairies in a ring." (Shak)
5. An enchantress. Fairy of the mine, an
imaginary being supposed to inhabit mines, etc. German
folklore tells of
two species; one fierce and malevolent, the another gentle, See Kobold. "No goblin or swart
fairy of the
mine Hath hurtful strength over true virginity." (Milton)
Origin: OE. Fairie, faierie, enchantment,
fairy folk, fairy, OF. Faerie enchantment, F. Feer, fr. LL. Fata one of the goddesses of fate. See Fate, and cf. Fay a fairy
Source: Websters Vocabulary