Pixie Is a West Country Word That Went National
A pixie is a small mischievous fairy. The word began in the folklore of Devon and Cornwall before English adopted it.
A pixie is a small mischievous fairy of English folklore. The word is local before it is national: it belongs to Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, where being *pixie-led* meant losing your way on the moor because pixies had confused you. The traditional remedy was to turn your coat inside out. Its origin is unknown, possibly Cornish or Scandinavian. A *pixie cut* is a short cropped hairstyle, named for the pointed elfin look.
- A small fairy. *A woodland pixie.*
- Pixie-led — lost by fairy mischief. *Pixie-led on the moor.*
- Pixie cut — a short haircut. *A pixie cut.*
- Piskie — the Cornish spelling. *A piskie.*
- Elf, sprite — near relations. *An elf.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pixie | A pixie. |
| Plural | pixies | Pixies. |
| Variant | pixy | Pixy. |
| Cornish | piskie | A piskie. |
| Compound | pixie cut | A pixie cut. |
- Local stories are full of pixies.Folklore.
- They were pixie-led in the fog.Idiom.
- She had her hair in a pixie cut.Style.
Small folk of British folklore
- Pixie — West Country, mischievous rather than malicious
- Brownie — a household helper who works at night
- Boggart — a troublesome spirit of house or field
- Sprite — a general word for a light spirit
- Elf — from Norse tradition, originally not small at all
Of uncertain origin, first recorded in southwest England in the 1600s; possibly Cornish or from a Scandinavian word for a small fairy.
What does pixie-led mean?
Lost or led astray, traditionally by pixie mischief. Turning your coat inside out was said to break the spell.
Where does the word come from?
Southwest England, where it appears from the 1600s. The deeper origin is unknown, possibly Cornish or Scandinavian.