pica

[ pahy-kuh ]

See synonyms for pica on Thesaurus.com

nounPrinting.

a 12-point type of a size between small pica and English.
the depth of this type size as a unit of linear measurement for type, pages containing type, etc.; one sixth of an inch.

a 12-point type, widely used for typewriters, having 10 characters to the inch.

Origin of pica

1580–90; apparently <Medieval Latin pīca pie⁴, on the model of brevier and canon¹, other type sizes

Compare elite (def. 4).

Words Nearby pica

Other definitions for pica (2 of 2)

pica²

[ pahy-kuh ]

nounPathology.

an abnormal appetite or craving for substances that are not fit to eat, as chalk or clay, common in malnutrition, pregnancy, etc.

Origin of pica

1555–65; <New Latin, special use of Latin pīca jay, magpie, with reference to its omnivorous feeding

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pica in a sentence

So in Vincent—'pica loquax'—'pica garrula,' &c.; and in Pliny, lib.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey Chaucer
Others will have a craving for some article not proper for food;—this is called pica.
The Matron's Manual of Midwifery, and the Diseases of Women During Pregnancy and in Childbed | Frederick Hollick
This large hermit-crab, found in Florida and in more southern waters, inhabits the beautiful pearly shell of Livona pica.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide | Augusta Foote Arnold
Pietro entreated and threatened, pica wept and caressed, but all in vain.
Brother Francis | Eileen Douglas
There is a play here on the double meaning of pie, namely a bird (Latin pica), and an article of food.
Narcissus | Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for pica (1 of 2)

pica¹

/ (ˈpaɪkə) /

noun

Also called: em, pica em a printer's unit of measurement, equal to 12 points or 0.166 ins
(formerly) a size of printer's type equal to 12 point

a typewriter type size having 10 characters to the inch

Origin of pica

C15: from Anglo-Latin pīca list of ecclesiastical regulations, apparently from Latin pīca magpie, with reference to its habit of making collections of miscellaneous items; the connection between the original sense (ecclesiastical list) and the typography meanings is obscure

British Dictionary definitions for pica (2 of 2)

pica²

/ (ˈpaɪkə) /

noun

pathol an abnormal craving to ingest substances such as clay, dirt, or hair, sometimes occurring during pregnancy, in persons with chlorosis, etc

Origin of pica

C16: from medical Latin, from Latin: magpie, being an allusion to its omnivorous feeding habits

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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