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What does the noun "rosy" mean in the first line of this song ?

Well there's a ring around the moon a ring around the rosy
A ring around my socks that keep my feet so cozy
Well I'm a single woman and I don't need many things
So why don't my poor little finger got a ring
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    It may be a reference to the children’s song “Ring Around the Rosy”.
    – StephenS
    Nov 12, 2020 at 19:11
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    Most native speakers would recognize it as part of the children's nursery rhyme, which is often said to refer to the Great Plague of 1665-6.
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Nov 12, 2020 at 19:16
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    "so the answer is: rosy = roses = plural of rose?" I would say no. To my ear, the meaning is only a reference to the nursery rhyme. I think it would be wrong to imagine that the singer is claiming the existence of some kind of ring that encircles one or more roses. We're only meant to think of the nursery rhyme (and the rhyme with "cozy" in the next line)
    – Juhasz
    Nov 12, 2020 at 20:36
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    The singer is mentioning things that have a ring, leading to her complaint that her finger does not... it's just a song. She isn't claiming anything about there being a ring around any 'rosy': it's just a line from another old song.
    – Weather Vane
    Nov 12, 2020 at 20:43
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    "Ring-a-ring o' roses" is the British version I grew up with. I only learned years later that Americans sing "Ring around the rosy".
    – Kate Bunting
    Nov 12, 2020 at 20:46

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