picas

[pahy-kuh]

pi·ca

1[pahy-kuh]
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. Compare elite (def. 4).

Origin:
1580–90; apparently < Medieval Latin pīca pie4, on the model of brevier, canon1 (def. 14)

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Picas is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

pi·ca

2[pahy-kuh]
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:
1555–65; < Neo-Latin, special use of Latin pīca jay, magpie, with reference to its omnivorous feeding
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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