(Christianity, also figuratively) A small, usually round container used to hold the host (“consecrated bread or wafer of the Eucharist”), especially when bringing communion to the sick or others unable to attend Mass.

(obsolete) To place (the host) in a pyx. / (figuratively) To enclose (something) in a box or other container; specifically, to place (a deceased person's body) in a coffin; to coffin, to encoffin.

plural of pyx

gerund of pyx: the act of depositing (sample coins) in a pyx; (by extension) the process of testing such coins for the fineness of metal and weight before a mint issues them to the public.

present participle of pyx

simple past tense and past participle of pyx

A small box / (botany) A capsule in which the lid separates from the top of the fruit to release the seeds; a pyxidium / A nautical compass

(astronomy) A spring constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble the compass of a ship. It is associated with the larger Argo Navis, although it was never officially part of that constellation.

plural of pyxis

(botany) A seed capsule in the form of a box, the seeds being released when the top splits off.