Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A fairylike or elfin creature, especially one that is mischievous; a playful sprite.
  • adjective Playfully mischievous.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See pixy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A playful sprite, elflike or fairy-like creature.
  • noun slang a cute, petite woman with short hair
  • noun astronomy, meteorology an upper-atmospheric optical phenomena associated with thunderstorms, a short-lasting pinpoint of light on the surface of convective domes that produces a gnome.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

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

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

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Examples

  • Although the word "pixie" is commonly associated with dainty fairies and forest sprites, the

    Wired Top Stories Michael S. Lasky 2011

  • When McCarthy asked Welch to define "pixie," Welch replied pointedly, "a pixie is a close relative of a fairy."

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2010

  • "I was quoting a friend of mine," said Fiorina, who lost her hair during cancer treatment and is now sporting what my mother would call a pixie cut.

    Carly Fiorina doesn't get a pass on comment about Boxer's hair 2010

  • The airbrush motor hums, and my cake is transformed like magic, with a little of what Duff calls pixie dust.

    Let Me Eat Cake Leslie F. Miller 2009

  • The airbrush motor hums, and my cake is transformed like magic, with a little of what Duff calls pixie dust.

    Let Me Eat Cake Leslie F. Miller 2009

  • I'd like to see you clarify your remark about the "nasty old Constitution"... liberals respect it, whereas conservatives just seem to use "Constitution" as some kind of magic-word pixie-dust without understanding it at all in an attempt to endorse their anti-American agenda.

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

  • "I was quoting a friend of mine," said Fiorina, who lost her hair during cancer treatment and is now sporting what my mother would call a pixie cut.

    Redskins Insider Podcast -- The Washington Post 2010

  • The pixie is a very good haircut for thinning hair.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Louis Licari 2010

  • Welch said, '' Yes, I should say, Mr. Senator, that a pixie is a close relative to a fairy.

    unknown title 2009

  • Welch: Yes, I should say, Senator, that a pixie is a close relative of a fairy.

    Dump Michele Bachmann 2009

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