lira
[leer-uh; Italian lee-rah]
- a coin and monetary unit of Italy until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 centesimi. Abbreviation: L., Lit.
- a monetary unit of Malta, San Marino, and the Vatican City until the euro was adopted.
- a silver, bronze, or chrome steel coin and monetary unit of Turkey, equal to 100 kurus; equal to 100 piasters before 1933; Turkish pound. Abbreviation: TL.
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Origin of lira
1610–20; < Italian < Old Provençal lieura < Latin lībra pound
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for lira
Contemporary Examples of lira
Ismail Adin, another shop owner in Beyoglu, also said sales of alcohol were down, from about 5,000 Lira a day to 2,000 Lira.
I get 400 Turkish lira ($198) a month and 300 of that goes on rent.
Historical Examples of lira
O'Mally handed him the exact amount, minus the lira for the button.
The Lure of the MaskHarold MacGrath
I wanted a little to take with me, for my purse hasn't a lira in it; but, no!
Mary Louise Solves a MysteryL. Frank Baum
It took him two days, and cost him several hundred lira for guides.
Many FrontsLewis R. Freeman
And to her amazement, Lira's brother held out the magic castanets.
The Little Spanish DancerMadeline Brandeis
Lira did not feel the spell of night that had settled upon the rest of the world.
The Little Spanish DancerMadeline Brandeis
lira
- the former standard monetary unit of Italy, San Marino, and the Vatican City, divided into 100 centesimi; replaced by the euro in 2002
- Also called: pound the standard monetary unit of Turkey, divided into 100 kuruş
- the former standard monetary unit of Malta, divided into 100 cents or 1000 mils; replaced by the euro in 2008
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Word Origin for lira
Italian, from Latin lībra pound
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for lira
Italian monetary unit, 1610s, from Italian lira, literally "pound," from Latin libra (see Libra).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper