pyxis
/ˈpɪksɪs/noun
pyxis is spelled P-Y-X-I-S: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pyxis means “A small box” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pyxis is pyxides.
How many letters and syllables are in pyxis?
| Letters | 5: P-Y-X-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 17 million words; the 124,184th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pyxis?
Pyxis appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pyxis?
- /ˈpɪksɪs/
Pyxis has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pyxis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pyxis
- pyxides plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pyxis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small box.
- 2
A capsule in which the lid separates from the top of the fruit to release the seeds.
- 3
A nautical compass.
- 4
The box in which ashes are stored for Ash Wednesday.
- 5
acetabulum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pyxis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small box:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Pyxis |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pyxis come from?
From Latin pyxis (“small box”). Doublet of box, piseog, and pyx.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).