lira

1 of 4

noun (1)

li·​ra ˈlir-ə How to pronounce lira (audio)
ˈlē-rə
plural lire ˈlē-(ˌ)rā How to pronounce lira (audio) 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 How to pronounce lira (audio)
-ˌrōth
: the former Israeli pound

lira

4 of 4

noun (4)

plural liri ˈlē-(ˌ)rē How to pronounce lira (audio)
: the basic monetary unit of Malta until 2008

Examples of lira in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Turkish lira responded positively to the move on Thursday, falling from its record low of 32.36 to the U.S. dollar to 31.94. Will Daniel, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 Uncertainty then spiked with the multifaceted crisis of 1992, when corruption scandals upended politics, currency speculators destabilized the lira, and the sustainability of the government’s finances came into doubt. Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Turkey’s lira hit fresh record lows against the US dollar on Monday after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured victory in Sunday’s presidential election, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade. Reuters, CNN, 29 May 2023 The value of the lira plummeted, inflation soared, and the Lebanese thawra (revolution) stalled before it was halted by the advent of Covid. Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023 Taxi drivers typically require cash payment, so come prepared with Turkish lira. Hannah Selinger, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2023 While many businesses have taken to charging in dollars, public employees who still get their wages in lira have seen their purchasing power crash, with many now relying on remittances from relatives abroad to stay afloat. Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023 There was a business card for the local Quick Cuts and Turkish lira bills in preposterous denominations—ten million, twenty million—from the time before the government slashed six zeros from the currency. Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 Parking your car at a garage for the night could cost 50 liras ($2.30) one day, 90 liras the next. Bloomberg.com, 7 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lira.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of lira was in 1617

Dictionary Entries Near lira

Cite this Entry

“Lira.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lira. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on lira

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