UK Pints
Abbreviation/Symbol:
pt
Unit of:
Worldwide use:
A UK pint is 20 imperial fluid ounces, or 568.26 milliliters. Draught beer and cider in the United Kingdom are legally sold by it, along with milk in returnable bottles, and Ireland uses the same size.
Definition:
In the United Kingdom, a pint is a unit of volume used to measure liquids such as beer, cider, and milk. The UK pint is equivalent to 20 fluid ounces or approximately 568 milliliters. This differs from the US pint, which is slightly smaller at 16 fluid ounces or about 473 milliliters.
Origin:
The word pint comes from the Old French pinte, which is probably from the Latin for 'painted' (pincta), presumably from marks painted on a vessel to show the volume. The etymology is plausible but not certain.
The UK pint has been 1/8 of an imperial gallon since 1824: 20 imperial fluid ounces, or about 568 milliliters. Draught beer and cider must be sold by the pint or a fraction of one, and milk is still sold by the pint too.
Usage context:
In the UK a pint is 568.26 milliliters, or 20 imperial fluid ounces. Draught beer and cider must by law be sold in pints and fractions of one, and milk in returnable bottles can be too. Almost everything else is metric.