An "ell" is an antiquated unit of length that has been historically used in various countries, including England, Scotland, and Germany. The length of an ell could vary depending on the region and the specific purpose, but it was typically used to measure cloth or textiles. The term "ell" is derived from the Latin word "ulna," which means "forearm," as the length of an ell was often based on the length of a person's forearm.
Different regions had their own variations of the ell, but some common measurements include:
English Ell: In England, the English ell was approximately 45 inches or 1.143 meters.
Scottish Ell: In Scotland, the Scottish ell was longer, measuring around 37 inches or 0.94 meters.
French Ell: In France, the French ell, also known as the aune, was used and had its own variations, but it was typically around 1.188 meters.
Flemish Ell: In parts of Europe, including Belgium and the Netherlands, the Flemish ell was used, which was approximately 27 inches or 0.686 meters.
A "pica" is a unit of measurement commonly used in typography and desktop publishing to represent the size of text, fonts, and other elements on a printed page. The pica is part of a system of measurement used in the field of typesetting, which involves arranging and designing text for printed materials.
In the pica system:
1 pica (abbreviated as "p") is equal to 12 points. 1 point (abbreviated as "pt") is approximately equal to 1/72nd of an inch.
So, 1 pica is roughly equal to 1/6th of an inch.
This system is based on the traditional point system used in printing, where a point is a very small unit of measurement. Picas and points are still widely used in the design and printing industry, especially when specifying font sizes, line spacing, and other layout details for printed materials like books, magazines, and newspapers.
In digital design and modern desktop publishing software, you can often switch between using picas and points or other units like inches, millimeters, or pixels to set and adjust the layout of text and graphic elements.