What does pica mean?
In modern English, pica most often denotes a unit of type size equal to 12 typographic points. It is chiefly encountered in printing and typography, where a pica describes a standardized size or measure; by extension, familiar type sizes may be described by their number of picas. Pica also has a medical sense: the eating disorder characterized by persistent consumption of substances that provide little or no nutrition, such as clay, dirt, or chalk. In older and literary English, pica can mean a magpie. These senses belong to different fields, but all use the same relatively uncommon word. It is worth knowing because it demonstrates how vocabulary can split into highly specialized, medical, and archaic meanings while retaining a concise and memorable form.
nounIn typography, a pica is a unit of type size equal to 12 points. In medicine, pica is an eating disorder involving persistent consumption of substances with little or no nutritional value; the word also survives as a literary name for a magpie.
- A unit of type size equal to 12 typographic points.
- An eating disorder characterized by persistent consumption of substances with little or no nutritional value.
- A literary or archaic name for a magpie.
"The headings are set in 12-pica type, making them substantially larger than the body text."
"The headings are set in 12-pica type, making them substantially larger than the body text."
"The patient's persistent clay-eating led clinicians to diagnose pica."
The plural picas is used when referring to multiple units of type size.
"The headings range from 18 to 36 picas."
Twelve points make one pica—which sounds like a diet until you realize it measures type, not lunch.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pica come from?
Pica entered English from French pica and Italian pica, both ultimately from Latin pica, meaning “magpie.” The older English zoological sense preserves that lineage by using the word for the bird. French also used pica for a type size, and the technical English printing sense developed through that usage.
How pica is actually used
The printing sense is technical and is mainly encountered in typography. The medical sense is clinical; the condition is sometimes capitalized in diagnostic references. The magpie sense is uncommon and now chiefly literary or archaic.
Easily confused with pica
A pika is a small, tailless mountain mammal related to rabbits and hares, whereas pica most commonly refers to a unit of type size.