# pixie

Pronunciation: say "PIK-see" /ˈpɪksi/

## Noun

1. A playful sprite, or a creature like an elf or a fairy.
   - Simple: A playful magic creature, a bit like a fairy or an elf.
   - _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._
2. Short for pixie cut: a very short women's haircut, cropped close at the back and sides with short layers on top. — Ellipsis of pixie cut.
   - Simple: Short for pixie cut: a very short haircut for women.
   - _The actress showed up at the premiere with a platinum pixie._
   - _Ask your stylist whether a pixie would suit the shape of your face._
3. A petite, cute woman whose hair is cut short. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A small, cute woman with short hair.
   - _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._

## Other meanings

- (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.
- (noun) Any of the metalmark butterflies belonging to the genus Melanis.

## 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pixie (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).