Fair·y n.; pl. Fairies [Written also faëry.]
1. Enchantment; illusion. [Obs.]
The God of her has made an end,
And fro this worlde's fairy
Hath taken her into company. --Gower.
2. The country of the fays; land of illusions. [Obs.]
He [Arthur] is a king y-crowned in Fairy. --Lydgate.
3. An imaginary supernatural being or spirit, supposed to assume a human form (usually diminutive), either male or female, and to meddle for good or evil in the affairs of mankind; a fay. See Elf, and Demon.
The fourth kind of spirit [is] called the Fairy. --K. James.
And now about the caldron sing,
Like elves and fairies in a ring. --Shak.
5. An enchantress. [Obs.]
Fairy of the mine, an imaginary being supposed to inhabit mines, etc. German folklore tells of two species; one fierce and malevolent, the other gentle, See Kobold.
No goblin or swart fairy of the mine
Hath hurtful power over true virginity. --Milton.