Plural of 'gil,' a unit of liquid measure equal to a quarter of a pint, used in cooking and brewing.
From Old Norse 'gjölnir' (related to 'yield'), through Old French 'gile.' A gill was standardized in medieval times as 1/4 pint for measuring beer, wine, and cooking ingredients.
A gill was so important in medieval brewing that it became the foundation for the pint system—without needing to measure out exactly 4 gills, bartenders couldn't have standardized 'a pint' as we know it.
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