pint

(pt)

   1. a traditional unit of volume equal to 1/2 quart.

   There are three different quarts in use in Britain and the United States, and hence there are three different pints: the U. S. liquid pint, equal to exactly 28.875 cubic inches, 16 fluid ounces, or approximately 473.176 milliliters; [ii] the U. S. dry pint, equal to 33.600 cubic inches or approximately 550.611 milliliters; and [iii] the British Imperial pint, equal to 20 British fluid ounces, 34.678 cubic inches or approximately 568.261 milliliters. The origin of the word pint is unclear. It may come from the Latin [i]pincta, painted, referring to a marking at the one-pint level on a larger container.

   2. a traditional unit of volume in Scotland equal to 2 choppins or 4 mutchkins.

   The Scots pint varied with time and locality, but it was eventually standardized as the volume of the Stirling jug, a vessel holding about 104.2 cubic inches or 1.708 liters. This is almost exactly 3 Imperial pints or 3.6 U.S. liquid pints.

   3. a unit of volume used in South Australian pubs. A pint of beer is generally 425 milliliters in South Australia, or roughly 3/4 Imperial pint (15 fluid ounces). In Queensland a pint glass typically holds 560 milliliters, very nearly an Imperial pint.

   4. a British unit of volume, known as the reputed pint, equal to 2/3 of the standard Imperial pint. This is exactly 13/3 fluid ounces, 23.12 cubic inches, or 378.841 milliliters.