pica

pi·ca ¹

 (pī′kə)

n.

1.

a. A printer's unit of type size, equal to 12 points or about ¹/₆ of an inch.

b. An equivalent unit of composition measurement used in determining the dimensions of lines, illustrations, or printed pages.

2. A type size for typewriters, providing ten characters to the inch.

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[Probably from Medieval Latin pīca, list of church services (perhaps from the typeface used to print it).]

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pi·ca ²

 (pī′kə)

n.

A psychiatric disorder characterized by the compulsive eating of nonfood substances, such as soil, clay, ice, or hair.

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[New Latin pīca, from Latin, magpie (from its omnivorous nature).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pica

(ˈpaɪkə)

n

1. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) Also called: em or pica em a printer's unit of measurement, equal to 12 points or 0.166 ins

2. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (formerly) a size of printer's type equal to 12 point

3. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a typewriter type size having 10 characters to the inch

[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]

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pica

(ˈpaɪkə)

n

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

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pi•ca¹

(ˈpaɪ kə)

n., pl. -cas.

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. Compare elite (def. 4).

[1580–90; appar. < Medieval Latin pīca collection of church rules, literally, pie², on the model of other type sizes, as brevier and canon, orig. used in printing liturgical books]

pi•ca²

(ˈpaɪ kə)

n.

an abnormal appetite or craving for substances that are not fit to eat, as chalk or clay.

[1555–65; < New Latin, figurative use of Latin pīca jay, magpie, with ref. to its omnivorous feeding]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pica

A unit of length, used by printers, approximately equal to 1⁄6 in.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	pica - an eating disorder, frequent in children, in which non-nutritional objects are eaten persistently geophagia, geophagy - eating earth, clay, chalk; occurs in some primitive tribes, sometimes in cases of nutritional deficiency or obsessive behavior eating disorder - a disorder of the normal eating routine
	2.	pica - a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing pica em, em linear measure, linear unit - a unit of measurement of length in, inch - a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot point - a linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch en, nut - half the width of an em
	3.	Pica - magpies genus Pica bird genus - a genus of birds Corvidae, family Corvidae - crow; raven; rook; jackdaw; chough; magpie; jay magpie - long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Translations

Cicero

pica

[ˈpaɪkə] N (Med, Vet) → pica f (Typ) → cícero m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pi·ca

n. pica, deseo insaciable de ingerir sustancias que no son comestibles.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012