Pyxis

//ˈpɪksɪs// name, noun

name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A small box.
  2. 2
    a small box used by ancient Greeks to hold medicines wordnet
  3. 3
    A capsule in which the lid separates from the top of the fruit to release the seeds.
  4. 4
    fruit of such plants as the plantain; a capsule whose upper part falls off when the seeds are released wordnet
  5. 5
    A nautical compass.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    The box in which ashes are stored for Ash Wednesday.
  2. 7
    acetabulum.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    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.

Synonyms

All synonyms
pyxidiumpyxpyxidium

Etymology

Etymology 1

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

Etymology 2

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

Related phrases

argo navisash wednesday

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.