livre

American

[lee-ver, lee-vr^uh] / ˈli vər, ˈli vrə /

noun

plural

livres

a former money of account and group of coins of France, issued in coin form first in gold, then in silver, finally in copper, and discontinued in 1794.

livre British

/ livrə, ˈliːvrə /

noun

a former French unit of money of account, equal to 1 pound of silver

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of livre

1545–55; < Middle French, Old French < Latin lībra balance, pound

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is the challenge the village du livre must now confront.

From Washington Post • Dec. 26, 2021

En 2007, un tribunal donna raison à Mme Bazzini, une affaire décrite par Jules B. Farber dans le livre “James Baldwin: Escape From America, Exile in Provence.”

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2017

Archives and Bruno Boudjelal's Algérie, clos comme on ferme un livre?

From The Guardian • Nov. 30, 2012

Juan Gris' "Le livre" went under the hammer for 10.3 million pounds, just short of the low estimate of 12 million.

From Reuters • Feb. 8, 2012

A livre was worth about three cents now.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023