pixie
/ˈpɪksi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An upper-atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, a short-lasting pinpoint of light on the surface of convective domes that produces a gnome.
name
A female nickname, also used as a formal given name.
Example Sentences
- "The writer in the Quarterly Review, vol xxii., gives a long list of words which he regards as connected with Puck: the editor of Warton adds German Spuk and Danish Spoge and Spogelse: we will contribute the Scottish Pauky, and the Devonshire Pixies, or Fairies."
- "Then she saw pixies — dozens and dozens of pixies — dancing and singing."
- "When she looked around, Mary saw four pixies flying toward her. She had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Then the pixies turned around and attacked again."
- "The servant that had raised him, an elderly pixie called Rolog, had died. On his deathbed he had called the young Captain to his side. Seeing the pixie dying had had no effect on him."
- "Tiffy froze as the two pixies looked directly into each other's eyes. Then Tiffy raised her hand and said, “Hi, I'm Tiffy the Tooth Fairy.” Even though the other pixie lifted her hand too, she didn't answer."
- "Then a pixie appears in the visitor window, round face, big brown eyes framed in thick liner, a tiny turned-up nose, red lips, inch-long blue-black hair so popular with the avant-garde."
Etymology
Uncertain; 17thC, originally in the folklore of southwest England; perhaps diminutive of dialectal Swedish pysk (“fairy”), though the transmission of a Swedish dialect term to southwest Britain is unexplained; perhaps Puck (“Robin Goodfellow”) + -sy; see Wikipedia.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: pysk
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɪksi/
- British English: /ˈpɪksi/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
manic pixie dream girl
pixie boot
pixie cup
pixie cut
pixie dust
pixie-faced
pixie hawkfish
pixie-lead