From Latin 'fata' (the Fates), from 'fari' (to speak) — fairies are 'fate-beings,' sharing a root with 'fate' and 'fable.'
A small imaginary being of human form that has magical powers; the realm or enchantment of such beings.
From Old French 'faerie' (enchantment, magic, the fairy realm), from 'fae' (a fairy), from Latin 'fāta' (the Fates, plural of 'fātum,' fate, destiny, that which has been spoken), from 'fārī' (to speak), from PIE *bheh₂- (to speak). A fairy is literally 'a fate-being' — a creature of destiny. The word originally referred to the state of enchantment or the fairy realm itself, not to the individual creature. The shift from 'faerie' (the enchanted land