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lira

[ leer-uh; Italian lee-rah ]

noun

, plural li·re [leer, -ey, lee, -, r, e], li·ras.
  1. a coin and monetary unit of Italy until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 centesimi. : L., Lit.
  2. a monetary unit of Malta, San Marino, and the Vatican City until the euro was adopted.
  3. a silver, bronze, or chrome steel coin and monetary unit of Turkey, equal to 100 kurus; equal to 100 piasters before 1933; Turkish pound. : TL.


lira

/ ˈlɪərə; ˈliːra /

noun

  1. the former standard monetary unit of Italy, San Marino, and the Vatican City, divided into 100 centesimi; replaced by the euro in 2002
  2. Also calledpound the standard monetary unit of Turkey, divided into 100 kuruş
  3. the former standard monetary unit of Malta, divided into 100 cents or 1000 mils; replaced by the euro in 2008
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lira1

1610–20; < Italian < Old Provençal lieura < Latin lībra pound
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lira1

Italian, from Latin lībra pound
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Example Sentences

He feeds lire into a public scale and, shocked by the number, embarks on a starvation diet so extreme he winds up passing out near the Uffizi Gallery.

From Salon

The Turkish lira, meanwhile, has slumped to a new record low against the dollar this week, going for 31 lira for $1.

“This is impunity. Our lives are worth only 27,300 lira — this is how I feel.”

The lira, which had been pegged at 1,500 to the dollar for a quarter century, now goes for around 90,000 on the black market.

That has sent the cost of basic household necessities soaring and sharply devalued the country’s currency, the lira.

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liquor uplira da braccio