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Synonyms

pica

1 American  
[pahy-kuh] / ˈpaɪ kə /

noun

Printing.

  1. a 12-point type of a size between small pica and English.

  2. the depth of this type size as a unit of linear measurement for type, pages containing type, etc.; one sixth of an inch.

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

pica 2 American  
[pahy-kuh] / ˈpaɪ kə /

noun

Pathology.

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

pica 1 British  
/ ˈpaɪkə /

noun

  1. Also called: em.   pica em.  a printer's unit of measurement, equal to 12 points or 0.166 ins

  2. (formerly) a size of printer's type equal to 12 point

  3. a typewriter type size having 10 characters to the inch

"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
pica 2 British  
/ ˈpaɪkə /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of pica1

1580–90; apparently < Medieval Latin pīca pie 4, on the model of brevier and canon 1, other type sizes

Origin of pica2

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

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.

In another report, the inspector pointed to years of concerns about the care provided to patients who have pica, a disorder in which people feel compelled to swallow inedible objects such as coins and zippers.

From Salon • Feb. 10, 2023

Though other Woodhaven residents struggled with pica, Pepper said, he doesn’t believe Yewdall inserted a large disinfectant wipe in her own windpipe.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 27, 2022

Among its exhibits are the stomach contents of a pica patient who swallowed 1,446 such objects, including saltshaker tops, thimbles and pins.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2021

An autopsy showed the girl had multiple foreign objects in her bowels related to her pica eating disorder.

From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2020

El Alacrán: A los que pica el alacrán, el cuartazo dan.”

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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.