lira

1 of 4

noun (1)

li·​ra ˈlir-ə 

ˈlē-rə

plural lire ˈlē-(ˌ)rā  also liras

: the basic monetary unit of Italy until 2002

lira

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural liras

the basic monetary unit of Turkey see Money Table

lira

3 of 4

noun (3)

plural liroth or lirot ˈlē-ˌrōt 

-ˌrōth

: the former Israeli pound

lira

4 of 4

noun (4)

plural liri ˈlē-(ˌ)rē 

: the basic monetary unit of Malta until 2008

Examples of lira in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The result has been double-digit inflation and a flight out of the Turkish lira into anything that serves as a better store of value, whether that is U.S. dollars, gold and cryptocurrency. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024

This has been seen in the current cycle with the Japanese yen and Turkish lira taking a battering while their central banks kept rates low, while the U.S. dollar — as measured against a basket of currencies – soared throughout 2022 as the Fed delivered stringent rate hikes. —Jenni Reid, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2024

In the last five years, the Turkish lira has lost nearly 83% of its value against the dollar, and the currency trades at 33 lira to the greenback as of 09:07 a.m. —Natasha Turak, CNBC, 17 July 2024

Its lira continues to hit record lows against the greenback. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 19 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Italian, from Latin libra, a unit of weight

Noun (2)

Turkish, from Italian

Noun (3)

Modern Hebrew, from Italian

Noun (4)

Maltese, from Italian

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1617, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1871, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1946, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

circa 1985, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lira

noun

li·​ra

ˈlir-ə

1

plural lire

ˈlē-ˌrā

also liras : the basic unit of money of Italy until 2002

2

plural liras : the basic unit of money of Turkey

3

: a coin or bill representing one lira