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fair·y

(fârē)

n. pl. fair·ies

1. An imaginary being in human form, depicted as clever, mischievous, and possessing magical powers.

2. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a gay man.

[Middle English fairie, fairyland, enchanted being, from Old French faerie, from fae, fairy, from Vulgar Latin *Fāta, goddess of fate, from Latin fāta, the Fates, pl. of fātum, fate; see FATE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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