[syn: Pica, genus Pica]
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.]
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4. (Print.) A size of type next larger than small pica, and
smaller than English.
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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.
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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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
pica
n 1: an eating disorder, frequent in children, in which non-
nutritional objects are eaten persistently
2: a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing [syn: em, pica
em, pica]
3: magpies [syn: Pica, genus Pica]
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