fairy ring

noun

1

: a ring of basidiomycetous mushrooms produced at the periphery of a body of mycelium which has grown outward from an initial growth point

also : a ring of luxuriant vegetation especially when associated with these mushrooms

2

: a mushroom (especially Marasmius oreades) that commonly grows in fairy rings

Examples of fairy ring in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most well-known for forming a circle or arc of white mushrooms, some fairy rings don’t include mushrooms but simply a ring or arc of lush, dark green grass. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2024

Revisiting old radar images, the new study matched two images of a fairy ring of volcanic vents that were taken eight months apart. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024

Problem: Circles Pop Up in the Grass What the Lawn Is Trying to Tell You Mysterious circles of mushrooms, called fairy rings, are caused by soil fungi. —Brett Martin, Popular Mechanics, 21 July 2023

Mysterious circles of mushrooms, called fairy rings, are caused by soil fungi. —Brett Martin, Popular Mechanics, 21 July 2023

Another approach is to manage the fairy ring with fertilizers, wetting agents and careful watering. —oregonlive, 13 May 2023

Towering over us was a circle of 100-foot-tall redwoods, known as a fairy ring. —Jeffrey Ball, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2021

One common disease with too much organic matter is fairy ring. —oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2021

See the places where fairies and gnomes live outside on the museum grounds, dance in a fairy ring, and more. —courant.com, 28 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

from the folk belief that such rings were dancing places of the fairies

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fairy ring

noun

: a ring of mushrooms in a lawn or meadow that is produced at the edge of a mass of mycelium which is growing outward from a central point