Pixie
/ˈpɪk.si/noun
A small mischievous fairy or sprite in folklore.
Did you know?The exact origin of pixie is uncertain, but it appears in English folklore by the 19th century as a word for a supernatural being, especially in Devon and Cornwall.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
pixie
“A small supernatural being or sprite, especially in southwestern English folklore”
19th Century
English
pixie
“A popular literary and folkloric term for a mischievous fairy”
Uncertain earlier dialectal source
English
piskie / piskie
“Regional forms in Devon and Cornwall referring to a fairy or goblin”
Possible pre-English substrate
Unknown
?
“The deeper origin is disputed and not securely established in standard scholarship”