Lira
/ˈliː.rə/noun
A former currency unit used in Italy, Turkey, and several other countries.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *libra*, “a pound” or “balance,” the same root behind astrology’s Libra, so this money word is tied to scales, weighing, and cosmic balance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leyp-
“to stick, adhere; later associated in Latin with weighing and balance through *libra*”
Latin
Latin
libra
“a balance, scales; a Roman pound by weight”
Late Latin
Latin
līra
“a pound or unit of weight; later a monetary unit based on weight”
Medieval Italian
Italian
lira
“a pound-weight and then a monetary unit”
Modern English
English
lira
“the former basic monetary unit of Italy and Turkey”