4 definitions
for Pica
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Pica \Pi"ca\, n. [L. pica a pie, magpie; in sense 3 prob. named
from some resemblance to the colors of the magpie. Cf. Pie
magpie.]
1. (Zool.) The genus that includes the magpies.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Med.) A vitiated appetite that craves what is unfit for
food, such as clay, chalk, ashes, coal, etc.;
chthonophagia.
Syn: allotriophagy.
[1913 Webster]
3. (R. C. Ch.) A service-book. See Pie. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
4. (Print.) A size of type next larger than small pica, and
smaller than English.
[1913 Webster]
Note: This line is printed in pica
[1913 Webster]
Note: Pica is twice the size of nonpareil, and is used as a
standard of measurement in casting leads, cutting
rules, etc., and also as a standard by which to
designate several larger kinds of type, as double pica,
two-line pica, four-line pica, and the like.
[1913 Webster]
Small pica (Print.), a size of type next larger than long
primer, and smaller than pica.
[1913 Webster]
Note: This line is printed in small pica
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
allotriophagy \al`lo*tri*oph"a*gy\
([a^]l`l[-o]*tr[i^]*[o^]f"[.a]*j[y^]), n. [Gr. 'allo`trios
strange + fagei^n to eat: cf. F. allotriophagie.] (Med.)
A depraved appetite; a desire for strange or nonnutritious
food, such as clay or starch. Called also pica. --AS
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 :
pica
n 1: a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing [syn: em, pica
em]
2: magpies [syn: genus Pica]
3: eating earth or clay or chalk; occurs in some primitive
tribes or sometimes in cases of nutritional deficiency
[syn: geophagy, geophagia]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
57 Moby Thesaurus words for "pica":
analgesia, anesthesia, anxiety equivalent, ascender, back,
bastard type, beard, belly, bevel, black letter, body, cap,
capital, case, counter, depraved appetite, descender, em, en, face,
fat-faced type, feet, font, groove, italic, letter, ligature,
logotype, lower case, majuscule, minuscule, neurasthenia, nick,
paresthesia, parorexia, pi, point, print, roman, sans serif,
script, shank, shoulder, small cap, small capital,
speech abnormality, stamp, stem, type, type body, type class,
type lice, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry,
upper case
