Definition

1. Noun:
   • (Folklore): A type of small, supernatural being or fairy, often portrayed as having pointed ears and a mischievous nature, found in British folklore.
   • (Botany): A low-growing, creeping evergreen shrub (Pyxidanthera barbulata) with small, narrow leaves and white star-shaped flowers, native to sandy pine barrens in the eastern United States.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Folklore):
  • The story told of a pixie who lived in the garden and played tricks on the gardener.
  • In the illustration, the pixie had delicate wings and a playful smile.
• Noun (Botany):
  • The ground was covered in blooming pixie during our spring hike in the pine barrens.
  • Pixie is a rare plant that thrives in specific sandy habitats.

Advanced Usage

• "pixie dust": A magical powder often associated with pixies and fairies in stories, said to enable flight or cause enchantments.
  • The children pretended that glitter was pixie dust.
• "pixie-like" (adjective): Resembling or having the qualities of a pixie, such as being small, delicate, or mischievously charming.
  • She had a pixie-like quality with her short hair and quick, graceful movements.

Variants and Related Words

• Pixy (noun): An alternative spelling of "pixie."
• Pixilated (adjective, informal): Behaving as if bewildered or mildly eccentric; can whimsically suggest being under the influence of pixies. (Note: This is distinct from the similar word "pixelated.")

Synonyms

• (For the folklore meaning): Sprite, elf, fairy, imp, brownie.
• (For the botanical meaning): Pyxie, flowering moss, pine-barren beauty (common names for ).

Related Phrases

• Pixie cut: A very short women's haircut, typically tapered at the back and sides with slightly longer strands on top.
  • She got a chic pixie cut for the summer.

Noun

1. creeping evergreen shrub having narrow overlapping leaves and early white star-shaped flowers; of the pine barrens of New Jersey and the Carolinas
2. (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous