DictionaryAI

pixie

noun
PIK-see/ˈpɪksi/

Pluralpixies

5 meanings of pixie

Practice

  1. 1
    magic creaturenouncountable
    A playful sprite, or a creature like an elf or a fairy.

    According to the old tale, a mischievous pixie led travelers astray on the moor.

    In the storybook, a pixie with silver wings grants the girl a single wish.

    Similarsprite, imp, brownie, gnome

    Note

    Southwest England's folklore is home ground: the word turns up there in the 17th century. Modern fantasy makes the pixie a winged helper as often as a troublemaker, close kin to sprites, imps and brownies.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The word originated in the folklore of southwest England and is recorded in the 17th century. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    haircutnounabbreviationellipsis
    Short for pixie cut: a very short women's haircut, cropped close at the back and sides with short layers on top.

    The actress showed up at the premiere with a platinum pixie.

    Ask your stylist whether a pixie would suit the shape of your face.

    UsageYou get, wear or try a pixie, often with a color word: a platinum pixie.

  3. 3
    small womannounslangcountable
    A petite, cute woman whose hair is cut short.

    She was a dark-haired pixie of a woman, barely five feet tall.

    The lead singer, a grinning pixie with a buzz cut, owned the stage all night.

    UsageOften used affectionately, as in a pixie of a woman.

    Similargamine

    Note

    Slang that borrows the look of the folklore sprite: small, bright-eyed and short-haired, usually with words like dainty or petite nearby. It is mostly meant kindly, though some women hear it as a little patronizing.

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    noun
    A short-lived pinpoint of light on the surface of a thunderstorm's convective dome, an upper-atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with the related flash called a gnome.
  2. 5
    noun
    Any of the metalmark butterflies belonging to the genus Melanis.

Practice

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Origin

Of uncertain origin; it dates from the 17th century, originally in the folklore of southwest England, and is perhaps a diminutive of Swedish pysk ("fairy") or perhaps Puck + -sy.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts