pi|ca

pi|ca¹ «PY kuh», noun.

1. a) a size of type (12 point). b) this size used as a unit of linear measure; about ¹/₆ inch.

2. a size of typewriter type, larger than elite, having 10 characters to the inch (the equivalent of 12-point printing type).

╂[< Medieval Latin (England) pica name of a book of rules for determining dates of holy days, supposed to have been printed in pica]

pi|ca² «PY kuh», noun.

a craving for substances unfit for food, such as chalk or clay. It is a form of geophagy, sometimes occurring during pregnancy.

╂[< Medieval Latin pica < Latin pīca magpie (because the bird appears to be omnivorous)]