Pyxis

Pyxis

(piks -is) (Mariner's Compass) A small inconspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere near Vela, lying partly in the Milky Way. It once formed part of the Mast of Argo, an obsolete division of Argo. It has some 3rd- and 4th-magnitude stars and contains the peculiar recurrent nova T Pyxidis. Abbrev.: Pyx; genitive form: Pyxidis; approx. position: RA 9h, dec –30°; area: 221 sq deg.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

pyxis

[′pik·səs]

(botany)

A capsule that dehisces by a transverse fissure around the circumference.

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Pyxis

[′pik·səs]

(astronomy)

A southern constellation; right ascension 9 hours, declination 30° south. Also known as Malus.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pyxis

 

a small box used in antiquity to hold cosmetics. Made of wood, clay, bone, metal, or—in ancient Rome—also glass, and often decorated with painted designs, the pyxis was usually cylindrical in shape; its walls could be convex, concave, or straight. Some pyxides were in the shape of a bowl that had three feet.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.