pyxis

/ˈpɪksɪs/

pyxis noun: a small box.

Noun

pyxis (plural pyxides)

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

Synonyms:

pyxidium
A nautical compass.
The box in which ashes are stored for Ash Wednesday.
acetabulum.

Proper noun capitalized: Pyxis

Pyxis

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.

pyxis meaning in Tamil and Urdu

pyxis in Tamil

பேழை

pyxis in Urdu

ڈبیہ, صندوقچی, سنگھار دان

Synonyms of pyxis

pyxidium

Forms of pyxis

plural	pyxides

Origin of pyxis

From Latin pyxis (“small box”). Doublet of box, piseog, and pyx.

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

Words formed from pyxis

Pyxidis

Questions about pyxis

What does pyxis mean?: Pyxis means a small box.
What is pyxis in Tamil?: Pyxis in Tamil is பேழை. See Pyxis meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is pyxis?: Pyxis can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce pyxis?: Pyxis is pronounced /ˈpɪksɪs/.
What is the plural of pyxis?: The plural of pyxis is pyxides.

Words near pyxis in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: pyxis (page history and authors); Pyxis (page history and authors); pyxis (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); pyxis (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pyxis.wav.

Cite this entry: “pyxis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pyxis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.