fairy ring

American  

noun

1. 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.

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fairy ring British  

noun

1. 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

2. short for fairy ring mushroom, Marasmius oreades , a dainty buff-coloured edible basidiomycetous fungus, characteristically forming rings in grassland

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Etymology

Origin of fairy ring

First recorded in 1590–1600