pica

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpaɪkə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) enPR: pīkə, IPA^(key): /ˈpaɪkə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪkə

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin pīca (“jay; magpie”). Doublet of pie (“magpie”).

• (pathology): From the idea that magpies will eat almost anything.

Noun

pica (countable and uncountable, plural picas)

2. (pathology, usually uncountable) A disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances, such as chalk, clay, dirt, ice, or sand.

   Synonyms: allotriophagy, chthonophagia, cittosis, geophagy, (obsolete, rare) pique

   • 1986, George S Baroff, Mental retardation: nature, cause, and management:

     The three most common nonfood picas were eating of strings and rags; feces, vomit, and urine; and paper, cigarettes, and soil.

3. (countable) A magpie.

Translations

Further reading

• pica (disorder) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

From Medieval Latin pica (“pica: a service book”), possibly from Latin pīca (“magpie”) after the piebald appearance of the typeset page (cf. pie (“disordered type”)). The relation to the printer's measure is unclear, as no edition of the text in pica type is known. The French pica derives from English rather than vice versa.

Noun

pica (countable and uncountable, plural picas)

1. (typography, printing, uncountable) A size of type between small pica and English, now standardized as 12-point.
   • 1790, James Boswell, edited by Danziger & Brady, Boswell: The Great Biographer, Yale, published 1989, page 30:

     I had been at Baldwin's before dinner in consequence of a letter from him which showed me that, by using a pica instead of an English letter in printing my book, I might comprise it within such a number of sheets as a guinea-volume should contain […] .

2. (typography, uncountable, usually with qualifier) A font of this size.
3. (typography, countable) A unit of length equivalent to 12 points, officially ³⁵⁄₈₃ cm (0.166 in) after 1886 but now (computing) ¹⁄₆ in.

   Coordinate terms: cicero, em, en, point

4. (uncommon, ecclesiastical) A pie or directory: the book directing Roman Catholic observance of saints' days and other feasts under various calendars.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• pica (typography) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 3

Noun

pica (plural picas)

1. Archaic form of pika (“small lagomorph”).
   • 1895, Richard Lydekker, The Royal Natural History, volume 3, page 190:

     Most travellers in the Himalaya are familiar with the pretty little Rodents, known as picas, tailless hares, or mouse-hares, which may be seen in the higher regions […]

References

Anagrams

• ACPI, APIC, apic, capi, paci

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Etymology 1

From Latin pīla (“mortar”), with an unexplained change from /l/ to /k/. Compare Spanish pila (“sink, font”).

Noun

pica f (plural piques)

1. bowl

   pica beneitera ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. sink

   Synonym: lavabo

   de mica en mica s'omple la pica (proverb) ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 2006, Sergi Pàmies, “Com dues gotes d'aigua”, in Si menges una llimona sense fer ganyotes:

     Quan neix, la gota encara no sap que d'aquí a dos segons s'escalfarà contra la pica de la cuina.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish pica (“pike”).

Noun

pica f (plural piques)

1. (weaponry) pike
2. (card games) spade

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin pīca (“magpie”).

Noun

pica f (uncountable)

1. (pathology) pica (disorder characterized by craving and appetite for non-edible substances)

Etymology 4

Deverbal from picar.

Noun

pica f (plural piques)

1. peak, summit

   Synonyms: pic, cim, cima

Etymology 5

Borrowed from French pika, from an Evenki word.

Noun

pica f (plural piques)

1. pika (small, furry mammal)

Etymology 6

Verb

pica

1. inflection of picar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “pica” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “pica” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Galician Wikipedia has an article on:

pica

Wikipedia ^gl

Noun

pica m (plural picas)

1. pipit
2. (card games) spade (a playing card of the suit spades, picas)

Verb

pica

1. inflection of picar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ika
• Hyphenation: pì‧ca

Noun

pica f (plural piche)

1. picacismo
2. magpie

Anagrams

• capi, capì, paci

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *peikā, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker; magpie”), whence also Latin pīcus (“woodpecker”).

Romance forms in -e- might reflect a different etymon, such as the Umbrian peico (acc.sg.), where the product of /ei/'s monophthongisation coincided with the latin /ē/. Cognate to Sanskrit पिक (piká, “cuckoo”), German Specht (“woodpecker”), Swedish spett (“crowbar, skewer; kind of woodpecker”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpiː.ka/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpi.ka/,

Noun

pīca f (genitive pīcae); first declension

1. magpie

Declension

First-declension noun.

Related terms

• pīcus

Descendants

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “pīca”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volumes 8: Patavia–Pix, page 420

Further reading

• “pica”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “pica”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• pica in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Latvian

Etymology

From Italian pizza.

Noun

pica f (4th declension)

1. pizza

Declension

Old Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /pit͡sa/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /pit͡sa/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *piťa.

Noun

pica f

1. fodder, forage

   Synonym: obrok

Derived terms

Descendants

• Polish: pica (obsolete)

Further reading

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “pica”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic.

Noun

pica f

1. vulva

Descendants

• Polish: pica

Further reading

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “pica”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.t͡sa/
• Rhymes: -it͡sa
• Syllabification: pi‧ca

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish pica (“fodder, food, forage”), from Proto-Slavic *piťa.

Noun

pica f

1. (obsolete) fodder, forage

   Synonyms: furaż, pasza

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Polish pica (“vulva”), from Proto-Slavic.

Noun

pica f (diminutive piczka)

1. (vulgar) cunt, pussy (female genitalia)

   Synonyms: cipa, pizda, psiocha

Declension

Further reading

• pica in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• M. Arcta Słownik Staropolski/Pica on the Polish Wikisource.Wikisource ^pl

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ikɐ
• Hyphenation: pi‧ca

Etymology 1

Deverbal from picar.

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. (Portugal) act of mincing
2. (historical, rare) pike (long spear)

   Synonym: pique

3. (Brazil, colloquial, vulgar) dick; prick; penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pénis

4. (Portugal, childish) jab (medical injection)

   Synonym: injeção

5. (Portugal, colloquial) energy; power

   Já estou com a pica toda. ― I'm full of energy.

6. (Portugal, colloquial) enthusiasm, will

   Falta-me pica para continuar o projeto ― I'm lacking enthusiasm to continue with the project.

7. (Portugal, slang) joint (marijuana cigarette)

Derived terms

• picão

Noun

pica m (plural picas)

1. (Portugal, informal) ticket inspector

   Synonym: revisor

Adjective

pica m or f (plural picas)

1. (Southeast Brazil, vulgar) awesome; amazing; cool

Derived terms

• ser pica

Etymology 2

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:

pica (transtorno)

Wikipedia ^pt

Learned borrowing from Latin pīca

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. (pathology) pica

Etymology 3

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:

paica

Wikipedia ^pt

Borrowed from English pica, ultimately from Latin pīca.

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. (typography, printing, rare) pica

   Synonym: paica

Etymology 4

From pico (“tip”).

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. (Portugal) dace; chub (fish of the genus Leuciscus)

   Synonyms: escalo, robalinho

2. (Portugal) atherine (fish of the genus Atherina)

   Synonym: peixe-rei

Etymology 5

Borrowed from French pika.

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. pika (mammal of the family Ochotonidae)

Etymology 6

Borrowed from English pic.

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. (Brazil, Internet slang, 4chan, humorous) pic (short for picture, meaning image)

Etymology 7

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

pica

1. inflection of picar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “pica” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “pica” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “pica” in Dicionário Online de Português.
• “pica” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “pica” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “pica” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “pica” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology 1

From pic, as a word originally in reference to drops of liquid. Compare also Aromanian chicu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈka/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: pi‧ca

Verb

a pica (third-person singular present pică, past participle picat) 1st conj.

1. (intransitive) to fall

   Synonym: cădea

2. (intransitive, of systems or connections) to fail, have downtime, be interrupted
3. (transitive, archaic) to have drops of liquid fall on something or someone
4. (transitive, obsolete) to drip a liquid
5. (transitive or reflexive, obsolete or regional) to stain something, respectively oneself
6. (transitive, regional, uncommon) to hit (in aggression, with a blunt object)
7. (transitive) to fail an exam

   Antonyms: promova, (informal) lua

8. (transitive, informal) to fail a student
9. (intransitive, informal, of examination topics) to be arbitrarily assigned

   În fiecare an, liceenii se întreabă ce le va pica la bacalaureatul de română. Toți speră că va pica un subiect ușor, cum ar fi basmul sau nuvela.

   Each year, high schoolers wonder what they’ll get for the Romanian language baccalaureate. They all hope to get an easy subject, such as the folk tale or the short story.

10. (intransitive, mildly informal) to fall on a date

    Synonym: cădea

11. (intransitive, informal, now uncommon, of people) to come by, appear

    Synonyms: apărea, își face apariția, se ivi

12. (intransitive, informal, of things) to fall into one’s hands, fall into one’s lap

Usage notes

In the primary meaning of “fall”, pica differs from cădea in formality (pica is slightly more informal) and in being less likely to be used figuratively with the meaning of “collapse”.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• frumos de pică
• pica bine
• pica prost
• pica rău
• pică pară mălăiață în gura lui nătăfleață
• picătură
• nici să-l pici cu ceară

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French piquer.

Verb

a pica (third-person singular present pichează, past participle picat) 1st conj.

1. (intransitive, of aircraft) to dive

Conjugation

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin pīca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.ka/
• Rhymes: -ika
• Hyphenation: pi‧ca

Noun

pica f (uncountable)

1. pica

Declension

Etymology 4

Noun

pica

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of pică

References

• pica in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Hypocoristic form derived from pízda (“cunt”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pǐːtsa/
• Hyphenation: pi‧ca
• Rhymes: -it͡sa

Noun

píca f (Cyrillic spelling пи́ца)

1. (vulgar, hypocoristic) cunt, pussy

Declension

Etymology 2

From Italian pizza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pîtsa/
• Hyphenation: pi‧ca
• Rhymes: -it͡sa

Noun

pȉca f (Cyrillic spelling пи̏ца)

1. pizza

Declension

Slovene

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pizza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pìːt͡sa/, /píːt͡sa/

Noun

pīca f

1. pizza

Inflection

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Further reading

• “pica”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpika/
• Rhymes: -ika
• Syllabification: pi‧ca

Etymology 1

Deverbal from picar.

Noun

pica f (plural picas)

1. pike, lance
2. pick (digging tool)
3. (card games) spade (a playing card of the suit spades, picas)

Derived terms

See also

Suits in Spanish · palos (layout · text)
corazones	diamantes	picas	tréboles

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

pica f (countable and uncountable, plural picas)

1. (pathology, usually uncountable) pica (a disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances)

Etymology 3

Verb

pica

1. inflection of picar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “pica”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014