faery

Everyday

1. An old or poetic spelling of «fairy»: a small magical creature in stories. tree →
2. (old, poetic) The land of fairies, fairyland: «the realm of Faery». tree →
3. (adjective) magical, of fairies. tree →

In the lessons

Found in poems, old tales and fantasy books, where the spelling makes things sound older and more mysterious. In The Wind in the Willows, Rat and Mole meet the Piper at the Gates of Dawn, a magical, almost fairy-like moment. In stories it tells the reader we are in a world of magic.

Examples

• The old poem spoke of the land of Faery. tree →
• In the story a faery queen lived under the hill. tree →
• The poet wrote «faery» instead of «fairy». tree →
• The forest seemed like a faery place in the moonlight. tree →
• Faery folk were said to dance in rings. tree →
• The book used old spellings like «faery». tree →
• Children in the tale were stolen away to Faery. tree →

Note

Old or poetic spelling; the normal spelling today is «fairy». Plural: faeries. Say it like «fairy». Do not use it in ordinary writing unless you want an old, magical tone.