Dictionary.com

pica

1
[ pahy-kuh ]
/ ˈpaɪ kə /
Save This Word!

noun Printing.
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Compare elite (def. 4).

Origin of pica

1
1580–90; apparently <Medieval Latin pīca pie4, on the model of brevier and canon1, other type sizes

Other definitions for pica (2 of 2)

pica2
[ pahy-kuh ]
/ ˈpaɪ kə /

noun Pathology.
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

2
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

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

Word Origin for 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

Word Origin for 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
FEEDBACK