lira
“lira” means “lyre” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
lyre
Also: poetry
📝 In Action
En la mitología griega, Orfeo tocaba la lira maravillosamente.
B1In Greek mythology, Orpheus played the lyre beautifully.
La lira es un instrumento de cuerda muy antiguo.
B1The lyre is a very ancient string instrument.
El poeta dedicó su vida a la lira.
C1The poet dedicated his life to his craft (the lyre).
lira
📝 In Action
Tengo que cambiar dólares a liras turcas.
B1I have to exchange dollars for Turkish liras.
Antes del euro, Italia usaba la lira.
B1Before the euro, Italy used the lira.
El precio era de mil liras.
B1The price was one thousand liras.
lira
📝 In Action
Garcilaso de la Vega fue el primero en usar la lira en castellano.
C1Garcilaso de la Vega was the first to use the lira stanza in Spanish.
Esta estrofa es una lira porque tiene cinco versos.
C2This stanza is a lira because it has five lines.
La lira combina versos de siete y once sílabas.
C2The lira combines lines of seven and eleven syllables.
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: lira
Question 1 of 3
Which country currently uses the 'lira' as its official currency?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'lyra', which came from the Greek 'lýra'. It originally referred to the musical instrument and was later used for the currency because the image of a lyre was often stamped on coins.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use 'lira' to describe a modern harp?
Not usually. While they are related, a modern harp is called an 'arpa'. 'Lira' specifically refers to the ancient U-shaped instrument.
Is the word masculine or feminine?
It is always feminine: 'la lira' or 'una lira'.
Why is the poetry form called a 'lira'?
It got its name because the first famous poem written in this style contained a line mentioning a 'lira' (the instrument), and the name stuck to the structure itself.