/ ˈfeəri; NAmE ˈferi/ noun ( pl. -ies )
1.
(in stories) a creature like a small person, who has magic powers :
a good / wicked fairy
—see also tooth fairy
2.
( disapproving , slang ) an offensive word for a homosexual man
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting fairyland, or fairies collectively): from Old French faerie , from fae , a fairy, from Latin fata the Fates, plural of fatum that which has been spoken, from fari speak.