Pint comes from the Old French word pinte and perhaps ultimately from Vulgar Latin pincta meaning "painted", for marks painted on the side of a container to show capacity.

Who invented the pint?

This design was invented by Hugo Pick, of Albert Pick & Co., who was awarded two US patents: design patent 44,616 (2 September 1913) and patent 1,107,700 (18 August 1914), although the design patent was invalidated, and which was commercialized as Nonik (for "no-nick").

What makes a pint?

In each system, two cups make a pint, and two pints equal a quart. A U.S. liquid pint holds 1.042 pounds of water at room temperature, a fact that gave rise to the saying “a pint's a pound the world around.” The pint has been a common unit of measure in Great Britain since the 14th century.