Peck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For people named Peck, see Peck (surname).
A peck is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 8 dry quarts, or 16 dry pints. Two pecks make a kenning (obsolete), and four pecks make a bushel.
The peck occurs in such phrases as "eat a peck of dirt before you die" or "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Apples are often sold in peck or half-peck bags or baskets in the United States, but otherwise the peck is rarely used.
In Scotland, the peck was used as a dry measure until the introduction of Imperial units as a result of the Weights and Measures Act 1824. The peck was equal to about 9 litres (in the case of certain crops, such as wheat, peas, beans and meal) and about 13 litres (in the case of barley, oats and malt). A firlot was equal to 4 pecks and the peck was equal to 4 lippies or forpets or 3 grudgies.
