pints

A pint is a unit of volume used in the British imperial and United States customary measurement systems. It is defined as half a quart, so its size depends on which quart and gallon system is being used. The term dates to the Middle Ages and comes from Old French pinte.

In the British imperial system, one pint equals 1/8 of an imperial gallon, and is defined as 568.261 milliliters. Each imperial pint contains 20 imperial fluid ounces. The imperial pint is commonly used in the United Kingdom for beverages such as beer and cider, as well as for various liquids in everyday life.

In the United States customary system, the liquid pint equals 1/2 of a US liquid quart, amounting to 473.176 milliliters and consisting of 16 US fluid ounces. In the United States, the pint is a familiar size for serving beverages in pubs and restaurants, and is also used in recipes and product labeling. There is also a US dry pint, which is a different measure tied to dry volumes and is approximately 0.55 liters; it is primarily of historical or specialized use and is not as commonly encountered in daily life.

Because pints differ between the imperial and US customary systems, specifying the system or the type (liquid vs. dry) is important when precision is required. In many contexts, “pint” alone may refer to the local customary size, with the expectation that the viewer understands whether the imperial or US measure is intended.

See also: quart, gallon, liter.