# lira

Pronunciation: say "LEER-uh" US /ˈlɪɹə/, UK /ˈlɪəɹə/

## Noun

1. Turkey's official currency, or a single unit of that currency.
   - Simple: The main kind of money used in Turkey.
   - _She changed her remaining euros into lira at the airport bureau._
   - _Restaurant prices across the city are quoted in lira._
2. The currency that the euro replaced in Italy, Malta, San Marino, Cyprus, and Vatican City.
   - Simple: The money once used in Italy and nearby countries before the euro replaced it.
   - _Shoppers had to relearn prices when the lira gave way to the euro._
   - _He found a faded receipt listing the amount in lira from a decade earlier._
3. The unit of currency used in Lebanon and Syria (also called the pound) and in Jordan (also called the dinar).
   - Simple: The everyday money used in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
   - _The shopkeeper counted out my change in worn lira notes._
   - _Travelers to Beirut often carry both dollars and lira._
4. The former unit of currency of Israel, replaced by the sheqel.
   - Simple: The money once used in Israel before the sheqel replaced it.
   - _Older ledgers from that era record every sale in lira._
   - _She remembers buying bread for a handful of lira as a child._
5. A hurdy-gurdy-like stringed instrument played in Ukrainian folk music.
   - Simple: A folk music instrument from Ukraine, much like a hurdy-gurdy.
   - _At the festival, an old performer coaxed a droning melody from his lira._
   - _The museum's collection includes a hand-carved lira from the nineteenth century._
6. One of the thin raised lines found on the shells of certain mollusks.
   - Simple: One of the thin ridges found on the shells of some sea creatures.
   - _Under magnification, each lira on the snail's shell was sharply defined._
   - _The species is identified partly by the number of lirae spiraling around its shell._
7. Alternative form of lyra. — Alternative form of lyra.
   - Simple: Another way of writing lyra. Use it for the same stringed instrument.
   - _A bowed lira led the ensemble through the traditional dance tune._
   - _Her recording features the lira alongside a small hand drum._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4** — From Italian lira, from Latin lībra, partly via Turkish lira, Arabic līra, Maltese lira, Greek líra, and Hebrew lirá, all of which are originally from the Italian. It is a doublet of arratel, libbra, Libra, libra, litra, litre, livre, and rottol.
**Meaning 5** — From Ukrainian ліра (lira), ultimately related to the Byzantine lyra (Ancient Greek λύρα, lúra). It is a doublet of Lyra, lyra, and lyre.
**Meaning 6** — From Latin līra, meaning "furrow".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lira (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).