fairy ring

Definition

A place where fairies congregate in a ring, particularly in order to dance.

Etymology

The idea of a ring where fairies danced was a traditional explanation for the fungal phenomenon before it was understood.

Example Sentences

• "They are fond of music and dancing. It is their dancing that forms the fairy rings."
• "1914, "Rhys at the Fairy Dance" in Maud Keary, Enchanted Tulips and Other Verses for Children, Macmillan and Company, page 102, Though many a year has passed away, / None have seen Rhys since that day! / Does he dance and does he sing / For ever in a Fairy Ring?"
• "Welsh folklore also reveals few references to fairy rings but there is a fine example found in the legend "Rhys at the Fairy Dance" (collected in 1827) in which Rhys is lost but found again when several people venture to a nearby fairy ring."