Wiktionary

libra

See also: Libra and librá

English

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Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Latin lībra (“pound”), partially via Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese libra. Doublet of lira, livre, libbre, liter, rottol, and arratel.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈliːbrə/, /ˈlaibrə/
  • Audio (Canada):(file)

Noun

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libra (plural libras or librae) (Roman contexts)

  1. (historical) A Roman unit of mass, usually equivalent to 327 g.
  2. (historical) A traditional Spanish unit of mass, usually around 460 g.
  3. (historical) A traditional Portuguese unit of mass, usually equivalent to 345 g and particularly used for trade in medicines.
  4. (historical) Synonym of arratel, a separate Portuguese unit of mass, usually around 460 g.
  5. (historical) Alternative spelling of libbra, a traditional Italian unit of mass.
  6. (historical) Synonym of pound, a notional pound of silver as a money of account, especially in medieval contexts.

Synonyms

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Coordinate terms

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  • (Roman unit of mass): uncia (1⁄12 libra)
  • (Spanish unit of mass): onza (1⁄16 libra), cuarteron (1⁄4 libra), marco (1⁄1 libra), arroba (25 libras), quintal (100 libras), tonelada (2,000 libras)
  • (Portuguese unit of mass): oitava (usually 1⁄72 libra), onça (usually 1⁄12 libra), quarta (usually 1⁄3 libra), marco (usually 2⁄3 libra), arratel (usually 1+1⁄3 libras)

References

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Anagrams

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Czech

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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libra f

  1. pound (unit of measure)
  2. pound (currency)

Declension

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Declension of libra (hard feminine reducible)
singular plural
nominative libra libry
genitive libry liber
dative libře librám
accusative libru libry
vocative libro libry
locative libře librách
instrumental librou librami

Further reading

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  • “libra”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935-1957
  • “libra”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Galician

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Etymology 1

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From Old Galician-Portuguese livra, attested in the 13th-century Cantigas de Santa Maria, from Latin libra (“Roman pound”). Doublet of lira. In reference to the English unit, a calque of English pound. Cognate with Portuguese and Spanish libra and Catalan lliura.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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libra f (plural libras)

  1. English or American pound, a unit of mass equivalent to 453.6 g
  2. (historical) Galician pound, a unit of mass equivalent to about 575 g
  3. (historical) libra, Spanish pound, a unit of mass equivalent to about 460 g
  4. British pound, a unit of British currency originally notionally equal to a pound of sterling silver
    Synonym: libra esterlina
  5. (chiefly historical) pound, other similar currencies originally notionally equal to a pound of gold or silver
Coordinate terms
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  • (Galician pound): onza (1⁄20 libra)
  • (Spanish pound): onza (1⁄16 libra)

Noun

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libra m or f by sense (plural libras)

  1. Libra (someone with the Libra star sign)
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References

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Etymology 2

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Verb

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libra

  1. inflection of librar:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Italian

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈli.bra/
  • Rhymes: -ibra
  • Hyphenation: lì‧bra

Noun

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libra f (plural libre)

  1. pound

Latin

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Etymology 1

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Of uncertain origin. The word's original form was something like Proto-Italic *līðra, *leiðra (“pound”), surviving also in Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra), whence English liter.[1]

Weiss derives the term from Proto-Indo-European *leyH- (“to pour”) suffixed with the instrumental/resultative suffix *-dʰrom, under the assumption that the term originally meant "pouring (of metal)" before evolving to mean a unit of weight.[2] In this case, then cognate with Proto-Slavic *lìti (“to pour”), Proto-Celtic *liyeti (“to flow”), Ancient Greek λείβω (leíbō, “to pour”), Lithuanian líeti (“to let flow”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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lībra f (genitive lībrae); first declension

  1. (historical) libra, Roman pound, a Roman unit of mass, equivalent to about 327 g
  2. scales, a tool used to balance two weights to measure amounts
  3. level, a tool used to check surfaces for horizontal and vertical alignment
  4. (Medieval Latin, New Latin) pound, any of various units of mass derived from or roughly equivalent to the Roman libra
  5. (Medieval Latin, New Latin) pound, any of various currencies derived from the use of pound as a weight in silver
Declension
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First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative lībra lībrae
Genitive lībrae lībrārum
Dative lībrae lībrīs
Accusative lībram lībrās
Ablative lībrā lībrīs
Vocative lībra lībrae
Synonyms
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  • (Roman unit of mass): lb.
  • (units of currency): £
Coordinate terms
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  • (Roman unit of mass): uncia (1⁄12 libra)
  • (English unit of mass): uncia (1⁄16 libra)
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Descendants
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Etymology 2

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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lībrā

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of lībrō

References

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  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “lībra”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 339
  2. ^ Michael Weiss, "The Etymology of Latin lībra", conference paper presented at the SCS Greek and Latin Linguistics Panel on January 5, 2021

Further reading

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  • “libra”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “libra”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • libra in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • libra in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • (ambiguous) to make extracts from Cicero's writings: aliquid, multa ex Ciceronis libris excerpere (not excerpere librum)
  • “libra”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • libra in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
  • “libra”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Portuguese

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Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pt

Etymology

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From Latin libra (“Roman pound”). Doublet of arrátel. In reference to the English unit, a calque of English pound. Cognate with Galician and Spanish libra and Catalan lliura.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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libra f (plural libras)

  1. English or American pound, a unit of mass equal to 454 g
  2. pound, British and other currencies derived from the use of a pound as a weight in silver
  3. (historical) libra, Portuguese pound, a traditional unit of mass usually equivalent to 345 g and chiefly used for trade in medicines
  4. (historical) Synonym of arrátel, Portuguese pound, a traditional unit of mass usually equivalent to 460 g

Coordinate terms

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  • (English unit of mass): onça (1⁄16 libra), tonelada (2,000 or 2,240 libras)
  • (Portuguese unit of mass): oitava (usually 1⁄72 libra), onça (usually 1⁄12 libra), quarta (usually 1⁄3 libra), marco (usually 2⁄3 libra), arrátel (1+1⁄3 libras)

Spanish

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Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈlibɾa/ [ˈli.β̞ɾa]
  • Rhymes: -ibɾa
  • Syllabification: li‧bra

Etymology 1

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From Latin libra (“Roman pound, scale”). Doublet of lira. In reference to the English unit, a calque of English pound. Cognate with Galician and Portuguese libra and Catalan lliura.

Noun

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libra f (plural libras)

  1. English or American pound avoirdupois (a unit of mass equivalent to 453.6 g)
  2. (historical) libra, Spanish pound (a traditional unit of mass equivalent to about 460 g)
  3. British pound (the currency of the United Kingdom and its dependencies, originally notionally equivalent to a pound of stirling silver)
    Synonym: libra esterlina
  4. (chiefly historical) pound (various other currencies originally notionally equivalent to a pound of gold or silver)
Coordinate terms
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Noun

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libra m or f by sense (plural libras)

  1. Libra (someone with the Libra star sign)
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Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

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libra

  1. inflection of librar:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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Tagalog

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Spanish libra, from Latin libra.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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libra (Baybayin spelling ᜎᜒᜊ᜔ᜇ)

  1. pound (unit of mass or force/weight)
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Anagrams

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