PICA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Pica mean? 

• PICA (noun)
  The noun PICA has 3 senses:

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

3. magpies

  Familiarity information: PICA used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PICA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An eating disorder, frequent in children, in which non-nutritional objects are eaten persistently

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("pica" is a kind of...):

eating disorder (a disorder of the normal eating routine)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pica"):

geophagia; geophagy (eating earth, clay, chalk; occurs in some primitive tribes, sometimes in cases of nutritional deficiency or obsessive behavior)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

em; pica; pica em

Hypernyms ("pica" is a kind of...):

linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)

Meronyms (parts of "pica"):

point (a linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch)

en; nut (half the width of an em)

Holonyms ("pica" is a part of...):

in; inch (a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Magpies

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

genus Pica; Pica

Hypernyms ("Pica" is a kind of...):

bird genus (a genus of birds)

Meronyms (members of "Pica"):

magpie (long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call)

Holonyms ("Pica" is a member of...):

Corvidae; family Corvidae (crow; raven; rook; jackdaw; chough; magpie; jay)