Fairy ring

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A place where fairies congregate in a ring, particularly in order to dance.

    "They are fond of music and dancing. It is their dancing that forms the fairy rings."

  2. 2
    a ring of fungi marking the periphery of the perennial underground growth of the mycelium wordnet
  3. 3
    A ring of fungi marking the periphery of the perennial underground growth of the mycelium.

    "This curious phenomenon has been differently accounted for. The following is Mr. Nicholson's description and explanation: "the appearance in the grass, says he, commonly called Fairy Rings, is well known. It consists either of a ring of grass of more luxuriant vegetation than the rest, or a kind of circular path in which the vegetation is more defective than elsewhere. It appears to be pretty well ascertained that the latter state precedes the former. […]"

Etymology

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

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: fairyring