pyx

or pix

[ piks ]

/ pɪks /

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noun

Ecclesiastical.

the box or vessel in which the reserved Eucharist or Host is kept.
a watch-shaped container for carrying the Eucharist to the sick.

Also called pyx chest . a box or chest at a mint, in which specimen coins are deposited and reserved for trial by weight and assay.

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Origin of pyx

1350–1400; Middle English pyxe<Latin pyxis<Greek pyxís a box, originally made of boxwood

Words nearby pyx

python, Pythonesque, pythoness, pythonic, pyuria, pyx, pyxidium, pyxie, pyxis, Pyxis Nautica, PYY3-36

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pyx in a sentence

No longer, says Sir John, do men swear devoutly by the cross and mass, or by such innocent oaths as the pyx or the mousefoot.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
In the Eastern Cloister you see an ancient door, leading to what is now called the chapel of the Pyx.
Little Folks (November 1884)|Various
In it is the Box or Pyx, containing specimen standard-pieces of all the gold and silver coins of the realm.
Little Folks (November 1884)|Various
He says it was sometimes done in darning stitches for ecclesiastical purposes, for instance, for coverings for the pyx.
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford

He opened the pyx, took out a little curl of paper, and spread it on the desk.
The Last Miracle|M. P. Shiel

British Dictionary definitions for pyx

pyx

less commonly pix

/ (pɪks) /

noun

Also called: pyx chest the chest in which coins from the British mint are placed to be tested for weight, etc

Christianity any receptacle in which the Eucharistic Host is kept

Word Origin for pyx

C14: from Latin pyxis small box, from Greek, from puxos box tree

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012