peck
A farm measure equal to a quarter bushel, or a fair heap of something (trouble included).
Updated September 24, 2026
peck pronunciation
/PEK/
Meaning
A peck is an old dry measure: eight quarts, one-fourth of a bushel. Country folks still buy apples and peppers by the peck at roadside stands. In talk it also means a good-sized pile of whatever follows, like a peck of trouble. Against a whole bushel it sounds smaller, but it is still plenty to carry to the truck.
How folks use it
- “We picked a peck of apples off that old tree.”
- “You're in a peck of trouble if Daddy finds out.”
Origin and etymology
From Middle English and older dry-measure systems used on farms. Four pecks make a bushel. The unit stuck in American farm and market speech, and the figurative "a peck of" (a lot of) followed naturally from that heap-of-produce sense. Peter Piper's peck of pickled peppers kept the word famous even when stores quit labeling baskets that way.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a peck?
Eight dry quarts, or one-fourth of a bushel. Weight depends on what you're measuring.