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

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

Dickie puts her in the car and hands the driver a wad of lire. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2024

Those borrowing in dollars and investing in liras have earned more than 11%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. —Bloomberg, Fortune Europe, 28 May 2024

The former Italian currency, the lira, was also derived from libra. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 26 May 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