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Definition of "pyxis" [pyx•is]

  • Botany A capsule dehiscing transversely by a lid that falls off to release the seeds. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pyxis" in a sentence
  • "Ear-rings in various shapes, necklaces in numerous rows, bracelets in the forms of hoops or snakes for the upper and lower arms, and various other trinkets v. 'ere in great request, and were kept in a species of casket or box, called pyxis, from the name of the wood of which it was orignaliy made; and these caskets, as Avell as the small oval hand mirrors of metal,"
  • "Ranging in size from two to ten centimeters, the pieces include an ivory furniture plaque, a gold ring, a red jasper stamp seal, and the flat lid of a pyxis, or small box — from Anatolia, Mycenae, Vapheio, and Byblos, respectively."
  • "In the museum we have a pyxis that was once a container for the Eucharist and stored in a church treasury."