Standard Lemma guide

nixie

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈnɪksi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: N IH1 K S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A female nix, a water-spirit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A piece of mail returned as undeliverable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From German Nixe, feminine of Nix, from Middle High German nickes, from Old High German nihhus (“water-elf, crocodile”), from Proto-Germanic *nikwus, *nikwis, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *neygw- (“to wash”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“water-elf, hippopotamus, walrus”), English nicker.

From nix + -ie.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 水妖 (shuǐyāo) — female water spirit
  • Czech: víla — female water spirit
  • German: Nixe — female water spirit
  • Polish: niksa — female water spirit