fairy

In Greek and Roman myth, the Fates were three goddesses who set the course of human life. There was nothing especially magical or charming about the Fates. Yet the Latin word Fata, “Fate,” is the ultimate source of the English word fairy: Fata became Old French fee, which was borrowed into English as faie or fay. (Fairy, which originally meant “fairyland,” is a derivative of fay.) In a few fairy tales, such as “Sleeping Beauty,” fairies maintain the ability to strongly influence the destiny of humans.