sprite
Americannoun
noun
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(in folklore) a nimble elflike creature, esp one associated with water
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a small dainty person
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an icon in a computer game which can be manoeuvred around the screen by means of a joystick, etc
Synonym Usage
See fairy.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sprite
1400–1450; Middle English sprit, spreit, from Anglo-French spirit(e), Old French esprit, espirit(e), from Latin spīritus spirit
Explanation
A sprite is a spirit, a mythical, fairy-like creature who lives by the water. Sprites are supernatural and sometimes tricksy. Sprites are particularly common Western European folk tales, and one of the most famous literary sprites is Ariel from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Elves and fairies can be described as sprites, and so can the water nymphs from Ancient Greek mythology. Sprite comes from the Old French esprit, or "spirit," and the Latin root spiritus. An older alternate spelling, now obsolete, was spright, which led to the adjective sprightly, "animated or lively."
Vocabulary lists containing sprite
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Artemis Fowl
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Mythology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He told us tales of big brinjals, bright pumpkin flowers, sprite okra that grew in the farmland in what’s now Bangladesh, where he grew up.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
Local drag artist Adam Carver, also known as Fatt Butcher, plays the quick-witted sprite Puck, and admitted that they brought some of their drag persona to the role.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
With a name that calls to mind a 6-foot-4 sprite — Jack of the Dell — he’s the king of the tasteful groove, with sly flourishes and nary a beat out of place.
From Washington Post • Jul. 4, 2022
Gone are the days of Dominique Moceanu, who was just a 14-year-old sprite when she won gold in 1996.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2021
“There’s no point hexing me,” squealed the sprite, “there’s the elf you want right there.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
