A unit of liquid volume equal to one quarter of a pint, used especially in Britain for measuring drinks and medicines.
From Old French 'gille,' derived from Latin 'gillo,' possibly from a personal name. The term entered English in the 14th century as a standard measure for alcoholic beverages and medical doses.
A gill was so commonly used for beer that medieval tavern keepers had special gill measures hanging from their belts—ordering 'a gill of ale' was as normal as ordering a shot glass today, and it sparked fierce regional debates about standardization.
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