LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

pīca

pīca f (genitive pīcae)
Classical[ˈpiː.ka]Ecclesiastical[ˈpiː.ka]

Meaning

  1. magpie

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepīcapīcae
genitivepīcaepīcārum
dativepīcaepīcīs
accusativepīcampīcās
ablativepīcāpīcīs
vocativepīcapīcae

pīca, ae, f. prob. from pingo, the variegated, spotted bird,
I. a pie, magpie, Plin. 10, 29, 41, § 78; 10, 42, 59, § 118; Ov. M. 5, 294 sq.; Pers. prol. fin.

Origins

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”).

Elsewhere
  • Sardinianpiga
  • Portuguesepegafrom Vulgar Latin *pēca
  • Spanishpegafrom Vulgar Latin *pēca
  • Catalanpica
  • Englishpica
  • Romanianpica
  • Old Frenchpie
  • Asturianpegafrom Vulgar Latin *pēca
  • Galicianpegafrom Vulgar Latin *pēca
  • Basquemika
Occitano-Romance
  • Catalanpiga
  • Occitanpiga
  • Occitanpigal
  • Occitanpigalha
  • Occitanpigasat
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianpica
  • Sicilianpica
  • Sicilianpìgula
West Iberian
  • Spanishpicaza

In English words that came into English from pīca

  • magpiepīca
  • piepīca
  • piedpīca
  • picapīca

Quick answers

What does pīca mean in Latin?
pīca, a noun, means “magpie”.
What is the genitive of pīca?
The genitive singular is pīcae. pīca is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce pīca?
In classical Latin, [ˈpiː.ka]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpiː.ka].
Which English words come from pīca?
English words that go back to Latin pīca include magpie, pie, pied and pica.