fairy ring


noun

any of numerous mushrooms of meadows and open woods, especially the well-known Marasmius oreades, that spread in rings originating from mycelial growth: formerly supposed to mark the paths laid by dancing fairies.

Origin of fairy ring

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example sentences from the Web for fairy ring

British Dictionary definitions for fairy ring

fairy ring

noun

a ring of dark luxuriant vegetation in grassy ground corresponding to the edge of an underground fungal mycelium: popularly associated with the dancing of fairies: seasonally marked by a ring of mushrooms
short for fairy ring mushroom, Marasmius oreades, a dainty buff-coloured edible basidiomycetous fungus, characteristically forming rings in grassland