adj
Meaning 1
Like a fairy; fanciful, whimsical, delicate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
fairy
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɛəɹi/
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General-South-African: /ˈfeːɹiː/
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Australian: /ˈfeːɹi/
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General-American: fârʹē
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/ˈfɛə̯ɹi/ without the Mary–marry–merry merger
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/ˈfɛɹi/ Mary–marry–merry merger
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US: Mmmm Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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New-Zealand: /ˈfeəɹi/ without the cheer–chair merger
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/ˈfiəɹi/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
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Scotland: /ˈfeɾe/
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Scotland: /ˈfeɾɪ/
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Scotland: /ˈfeɾi/
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/ˈfɜːɹɪ/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
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homophone: ferry (Mary–marry–merry merger)
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homophone: furry (fair–fur merger)
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rhymes with -ɛəɹi
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CMU ARPABET: F EH1 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A mythical being of human form with magical powers, known in many sizes and descriptions, although typically depicted as a small sprite with gauze-like wings, especially one that is female. Fairies are revered in some modern forms of paganism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A male homosexual, especially one who is effeminate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An effeminate man or boy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
An attractive young woman; a small, graceful woman.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
An enchantress, or creature of overpowering charm.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A member of two species of hummingbird in the genus Heliothryx.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A legendary Chinese immortal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: xian, immortal
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
The realm of faerie; enchantment, illusion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
The land or region inhabited by fairies; fairyland.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
Fairies considered collectively; fairy folk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: faery, faerie, fay, sprite
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: spiritual being, supernatural being
Narrower terms: elf, hob, gremlin, pixie, pixy, brownie, imp, fairy godmother, gnome, dwarf, Morgan le Fay, Puck, Robin Goodfellow, Oberson, Titania, tooth fairy, water sprite, water nymph, water spirit
noun
Meaning 13
offensive term for an openly homosexual man
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fagot, faggot, fag, nance, pansy, queen, queer, poof, poove, pouf
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: gay man, shirtlifter
History
Etymology
From Middle English faierie, fairie, from Old French faerie, from fae (from Latin fāta (“goddess of fate”)) + -erie. Equivalent to fay + -ry. Attested in English from about 1330, in King Alisaunder, first in the sense of "enchantment, illusion, dream" ("that thou herdest is fairye") and shortly thereafter "realm of the fays, fairy-land" and "the inhabitants of fairyland, collectively". The re-interpretation of the term as a countable noun denoting individual inhabitants of fairy-land can be traced to the 1390s, but became common only in the 16th century, perhaps due to reinterpreting phrases like faerie knight.
Across languages
Translations
207 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: fee — mythical being
- Albanian: zanë — mythical being
- Arabic: جِنِّيَّة (jinniyya) — mythical being
- Arabic: سَاحِرَة (sāḥira) — mythical being
- Armenian: փերի (pʻeri) — mythical being
- Aromanian: dzãnã — mythical being
- Asturian: fada — mythical being
- Azerbaijani: pəri — mythical being
- Belarusian: фе́я (fjéja) — mythical being
- Belarusian: чараўні́ца (čarawníca) — mythical being
- Bengali: পরী (pori) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: фе́я (féja) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: магьо́сница (magjósnica) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: ори́сница (orísnica) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: наре́чница (naréčnica) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: ви́ла (víla) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: самови́ла (samovíla) — mythical being
- Catalan: fada — mythical being
- Chinese Mandarin: 仙女 (xiānnǚ) — mythical being
- Chinese Mandarin: 仙子 (xiānzǐ) — mythical being
- Chinese Mandarin: 妖精 (yāojīng) — mythical being
- Cornish: spyrys — mythical being
- Cornish: fay — mythical being
- Czech: víla — mythical being
- Danish: fe — mythical being
- Danish: alf — mythical being
- Dutch: fee — mythical being
- Erzya: шенгава (šengava) — mythical being
- Esperanto: feino — mythical being
- Esperanto: feo — mythical being
- Estonian: haldjas — mythical being
- Finnish: keiju — mythical being
- Finnish: keijukainen — mythical being
- Finnish: haltija — mythical being
- Finnish: haltijatar — mythical being
- French: fée — mythical being
- French: féetaud — mythical being
- Galician: fada — mythical being
- Galician: moura — mythical being
- Galician: ouva — mythical being
- Georgian: ფერია (peria) — mythical being
- German: Fee — mythical being
- German: Elfe — mythical being
- German: Feenwesen — mythical being
- German: Naturgeister — mythical being
- German: Geist — mythical being
- German: Alb — mythical being
- German: Elb — mythical being
- German: Elben — mythical being
- German: Kobold — mythical being
- Middle High German: alp — mythical being
- Greek: νεράιδα (neráida) — mythical being
- Hebrew: פֵיָה (feyá) — mythical being
- Hindi: परी (parī) — mythical being
- Hindi: अप्सरा (apsarā) — mythical being
- Hungarian: tündér — mythical being
- Indonesian: peri — mythical being
- Irish: bean sí — mythical being
- Irish: sióg — mythical being
- Irish: síogaí — mythical being
- Irish: daoine maithe — mythical being
- Middle Irish: áes side — mythical being
- Old Irish: áes síde — mythical being
- Old Irish: síde — mythical being
- Old Irish: ben síde — mythical being
- Old Irish: síd — mythical being
- Italian: fata — mythical being
- Italian: foletto — mythical being
- Italian: foletta — mythical being
- Italian: folletto — mythical being
- Italian: folletta — mythical being
- Japanese: 妖精 (yōsei) — mythical being
- Japanese: 仙女 (sennyo) — mythical being
- Japanese: フェアリー (fearī) — mythical being
- Kashmiri: پری (prī) — mythical being
- Kazakh: пері (perı) — mythical being
- Khmer: អប្សរ (ʼappsɑɑ) — mythical being
- Khmer: រម្ភា (rɔɔrumphiə) — mythical being
- Khmer: ទេពកញ្ញា (teip kaññaa) — mythical being
- Korean: 페어리 (peeori) — mythical being
- Korean: 요정 (yojeong) — mythical being
- Korean: 선녀 (seonnyeo) — mythical being
- Northern Kurdish: perî — mythical being
- Kyrgyz: пери (peri) — mythical being
- Kyrgyz: перизат (perizat) — mythical being
- Lao: ນາງຟ້າ (nāng fā) — mythical being
- Lao: ອັບປະສອນ (ʼap pa sǭn) — mythical being
- Lao: ສຸຣາງ (su rāng) — mythical being
- Lao: ເທບທິດາ (thēp thi dā) — mythical being
- Latin: dīva — mythical being
- Latin: dīvus — mythical being
- Latin: alfa — mythical being
- Latin: alfus — mythical being
- Latin: fāta — mythical being
- Latin: fāda — mythical being
- Latvian: feja — mythical being
- Lithuanian: fėja — mythical being
- Macedonian: само́вила (samóvila) — mythical being
- Macedonian: ви́ла (víla) — mythical being
- Macedonian: фе́ја (féja) — mythical being
- Macedonian: волше́бничка (volšébnička) — mythical being
- Macedonian: сти́ја (stíja) — mythical being
- Macedonian: ју́да (júda) — mythical being
- Malay: pari-pari — mythical being
- Malay: pepari — mythical being
- Maltese: saħħara — mythical being
- Maltese: feri — mythical being
- Manx: shee — mythical being
- Manx: sheeaghan — mythical being
- Manx: ferrish — mythical being
- Manx: mooinjer veggey — mythical being
- Māori: heketoro — mythical being
- Māori: tūrehu — mythical being
- Māori: karitehe — mythical being
- Māori: kōrakorako — mythical being
- Māori: patupaiarehe — mythical being
- Māori: tahurangi — mythical being
- Marathi: परी (parī) — mythical being
- Middle English: elf — mythical being
- Mongolian: дагина (dagina) — mythical being
- Mongolian: ᠳᠠᠭᠢᠨᠢ (daɣini) — mythical being
- Norman: fée — mythical being
- Norwegian: fe — mythical being
- Old English: ielf — mythical being
- Old Saxon: alf — mythical being
- Pashto: پري (parí) — mythical being
- Persian: پری (pari) — mythical being
- Polish: wróżka — mythical being
- Polish: wiła — mythical being
- Portuguese: fada — mythical being
- Portuguese: elfo — mythical being
- Romanian: zână — mythical being
- Russian: фе́я (féja) — mythical being
- Russian: волше́бница (volšébnica) — mythical being
- Sanskrit: विद्याधरी (vidyādharī) — mythical being
- Scottish Gaelic: sìthiche — mythical being
- Scottish Gaelic: bean-shìdh — mythical being
- Scottish Gaelic: sluagh sìdhe — mythical being
- Scottish Gaelic: sìth — mythical being
- Serbo-Croatian: ви́ла — mythical being
- Serbo-Croatian: вилѐња̄к — mythical being
- Serbo-Croatian: víla — mythical being
- Serbo-Croatian: vilènjāk — mythical being
- Slovak: víla — mythical being
- Slovene: vila — mythical being
- Southern Altai: фея (feya) — mythical being
- Spanish: hada — mythical being
- Spanish: fada — mythical being
- Swahili: kichimbakazi — mythical being
- Swedish: fe — mythical being
- Swedish: älva — mythical being
- Tagalog: ada — mythical being
- Tagalog: diwata — mythical being
- Tajik: парӣ (pari) — mythical being
- Thai: นางฟ้า (naang-fáa) — mythical being
- Thai: เทพธิดา (têep-tí-daa) — mythical being
- Turkish: peri — mythical being
- Turkish: irşi — mythical being
- Turkish: tüngür — mythical being
- Turkmen: peri — mythical being
- Ukrainian: фе́я (féja) — mythical being
- Ukrainian: чарівни́ця (čarivnýcja) — mythical being
- Urdu: پری (parī) — mythical being
- Uyghur: پەرى (peri) — mythical being
- Uzbek: pari — mythical being
- Uzbek: sohira — mythical being
- Venetan: fada — mythical being
- Vietnamese: tiên nữ — mythical being
- Vietnamese: nàng tiên — mythical being
- Vietnamese: yêu tinh — mythical being
- Volapük: fey — mythical being
- Volapük: hifey — mythical being
- Volapük: jifey — mythical being
- Welsh: tylwyth teg — mythical being
- Yiddish: פֿעע (fee) — mythical being
- Bulgarian: педера́ст (pederást) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Chinese Mandarin: 基佬 (jīlǎo) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Czech: teplouš — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Danish: bøsse — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Esperanto: invertito — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Finnish: hintti — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Finnish: naismainen mies — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- French: tapette — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- French: folle — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Indonesian: maho — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Italian: checca — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Italian: finocchio — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Macedonian: пе́дер (péder) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Macedonian: педера́ст (pederást) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Persian: کونی (kuni) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Polish: ciota — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Polish: pedzio — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Polish: szwagier — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Polish: teściu — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Portuguese: bicha — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Portuguese: marica — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Romanian: zână — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Russian: го́мик (gómik) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Russian: мужело́жец (muželóžec) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Russian: содоми́т (sodomít) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Russian: педера́ст (pederást) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Slovak: teploš — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Spanish: marica — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Spanish: mujercita — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Swedish: fjolla — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Vietnamese: người đồng tính nam — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
- Yiddish: פֿייגעלע (feygele) — (''derogatory slang'') effeminate male homosexual
Real reading context