Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pyxis

/ˈpɪksɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English

Syllables
pyx-is
IPA
/ˈpɪksɪs/
17
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A spring constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble the compass of a ship. It is associated with the larger Argo Navis, although it was never officially part of that constellation.

noun

A small box.

noun

A capsule in which the lid separates from the top of the fruit to release the seeds.

noun

A nautical compass.

noun

The box in which ashes are stored for Ash Wednesday.

noun

acetabulum.

Etymology

Named by the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1763, and originally called Pyxis Nautica (“nautical compass”), from Latin pyxis (“little box”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

pyxides (plural)

Derived Forms

Pyxidis

Phrases

Argo Navis

Frequently Paired Words

Argo Argo Navis Carina Puppis Vela

Synonyms

pyxidium

Questions

How do you pronounce pyxis?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɪksɪs/.
What does pyxis mean?
A spring constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble the compass of a ship. It is associated with the larger Argo Navis, although it was never officially part of that constellation.
Where does pyxis come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce pyxis

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pyxis”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɪksɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pyxis”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pyxis” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.