sprite
Americannoun
noun
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(in folklore) a nimble elflike creature, esp one associated with water
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a small dainty person
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an icon in a computer game which can be manoeuvred around the screen by means of a joystick, etc
Related Words
See fairy.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sprite
1400–1450; Middle English sprit, spreit, from Anglo-French spirit(e), Old French esprit, espirit(e), from Latin spīritus spirit
Explanation
A sprite is a spirit, a mythical, fairy-like creature who lives by the water. Sprites are supernatural and sometimes tricksy. Sprites are particularly common Western European folk tales, and one of the most famous literary sprites is Ariel from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Elves and fairies can be described as sprites, and so can the water nymphs from Ancient Greek mythology. Sprite comes from the Old French esprit, or "spirit," and the Latin root spiritus. An older alternate spelling, now obsolete, was spright, which led to the adjective sprightly, "animated or lively."
Vocabulary lists containing sprite
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Artemis Fowl
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Mythology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sprite brand has reclaimed a key battleground in the Soda Wars: sponsorship of the National Basketball Association.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Its namesake Pepsi soda has lost market share to competitors like Dr. Pepper and Sprite.
From Barron's • Nov. 10, 2025
“We shared it with some curly fries and a Sprite, ice cold.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2025
Cans of Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, and Sprite Zero sent to cafes and restaurants are being withdrawn as well as 6x250ml Appletiser multipacks sent to UK supermarkets.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2025
The drinks were ice-cold—Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and Malta.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
