What does lire mean?
Lire is an uncommon, now largely obsolete English verb meaning “to read” or “to peruse.” Its appearance in writing usually signals a literary, archaic, or deliberately elevated style rather than ordinary contemporary usage. The word can suggest more than simply passing over written material: in phrases such as “lire a book” or “lire a manuscript,” it often conveys careful or sustained reading. Lire entered English from Latin through Old French, ultimately deriving from the same root as familiar words including “legible,” “lecture,” and “legend.” A reader encountering it today may also recognize the spelling as the plural of “lira,” the former currency of Italy, a usage that is independent of the verb’s historical literary sense. Although no longer needed for clear modern prose, lire remains useful because it preserves the atmosphere of older books and formal writing.
verb (obsolete)To read or peruse. The word is now obsolete in ordinary English and survives chiefly in literary or historical contexts.
- To read.
- To read carefully or attentively; to peruse.
"He did lire the letter aloud before the assembled company."
"The scholar was able to lire the ancient manuscript despite its damaged pages."
"She spent the evening reading, though no one else cared to lire a novel aloud."
Lire is the literary verb for reading—and, in modern English, it is also familiar as the plural of the Italian currency unit lira.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lire come from?
The verb derives from Latin legere, “to read or collect,” through Old French lire. English once used it for reading, especially in a deliberate or attentive sense, but it was eventually replaced by the more productive verb “read.” The same Latin root also underlies words such as “legible,” “legibility,” “lecture,” and “legend.” In modern English, the form “lire” is also the plural of “lira,” the former monetary unit of Italy.
Related word forms
How lire is actually used
Literary and obsolete. In modern English, “lire” is much more likely to be encountered as the plural of “lira,” the former Italian monetary unit. It should not be confused with “lyre,” an ancient stringed instrument.
Easily confused with lire
A lyre is an ancient stringed instrument, whereas lire is an obsolete verb meaning “to read.”
A lira is the former monetary unit of Italy, and lire is its plural; the English verb lire has a different grammatical function and meaning.