noun

lira

LEER-uh/ˈlɪrə/

A unit of money used in Turkey and formerly in Italy and other countries.

The old purse lies beside several Italian lira coins.

A few unlettered historically inspired Italian lira coins beside an old purse, no readable numeral claim.

Etymology

Latin libra meant a pound of weight; that weight term became a monetary name, with Italian lira retaining the literal meaning 'pound.'

In context

Coined History8:00

But in September 1992, a wave of massive speculation against several European currencies triggered what's still the worst crisis in the system's 13-year history. The British pound and the Italian lira were expelled entirely

The Spanish Peseta — The Currency That Outlived Franco, Died With the Euro (77 caracteres)

More examples

This bottle of water costs ten lira.
Before Italy adopted the euro, people paid in lire.
She exchanges dollars for Turkish liras at the bank.

Forms

lira · lire · liras