Etymology: Origin uncertain in sense 1; perhaps a transferred use of post-classical Latin pica , name of an ecclesiastical directory (1497, 1555 in British sources: see below), itself perhaps a transferred use of classical Latin pīca magpie (see pica n.²); compare earlier pie n.³, and see etymological note at that entry (it is not clear whether pie n.³ is a rendering of post-classical Latin pica or vice versa, but the equation of pica with pie suggests that the name was commonly identified with that of the bird). However, no edition of the ecclesiastical directory in ‘pica’ type appears to be known, and it is not clear whether brevier n. and canon n.¹ 11 can be regarded as analogous cases of names of typefaces derived from names of church books. In sense 2 < post-classical Latin pica.In forms pique , piquy perhaps by analogy with French spelling conventions (French pica is apparently not attested until much later (1909, in sense 1) and is < English). Compare the following examples of post-classical Latin pica in sense 2:1497 Pynson Directorium Sacerdotum (incipit) Liber presens, directorium sacerdotum, quem pica Sarum vulgo vocitat clerus.1555 Breviary of Sarum in E. R. Mores Diss. Eng. Typogr. Founders (1778) 23 Incipit ordo breviarij seu portiforij secundum morem & consuetudinem ecclesie Sarum Anglicane: vna cum ordinali suo quod vsitato vocabulo dicitur Pica sive directorium sacerdotum in tempore paschali.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin pica craving, desire of pregnant women (15th cent.) < classical Latin pīca magpie, jay (see note at piciform adj.²), probably after ancient Greek κίσσα, (Attic) κίττα magpie, jay, in Hellenistic Greek also craving of pregnant women for strange food (on account of the magpie's feeding on miscellaneous foodstuffs). Compare Middle French, French pica (1575 in Paré).