View source for Lira

{{Short description|Monetary unit of a number of countries}}
{{other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2022}}
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header = 100 [[Italian lira]] (1979, [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] celebration)
| image = File:100 Lira (Italy).jpg
| caption_left = '''Obverse''': Young woman with braid facing left and {{lang|it|[[Republic of Italy|Repubblica Italiana]]}} [Italian Republic] written in Italian.
| caption_right = '''Reverse''': Cow nursing calf, face value & date. [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] at bottom and {{lang|it|Nutrire il Mondo}} [Feed the world] at top.
| width = 225
| footer = Coin minted by [[Italy]] in 1970s to celebrate and promote the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]].
| position = right
| margin = 0
}}
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header = 1 [[Turkish lira]] (2009)
| image = Image:Lira_coin.png
| caption_right  = '''Obverse''': [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] with {{lang|tr|TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ}} &lsqb;[[Republic of Turkey]]&rsqb; lettering
| width = 225
| position = right
| margin = 0
}}
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header = 1 Italian lira (1863)
| image = Image:VE2 lira 1863.jpg
| caption_left = '''Obverse''': [[Victor Emmanuel II]]
| caption_right = '''Reverse''': Coat of arms of the [[House of Savoy]]
| width = 225
| position = right
| margin = 0
}}
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header = 10 Turkish lira (1986)
| image =  File:10 Lira (Turkey).jpg

| caption_left  = '''Obverse''': Mustafa Kemal Atatürk with {{lang|tr|TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ}} lettering 
| caption_right  = '''Reverse''': Face value and year within wreath, crescent moon and  star at the top. Crescent opens right. Also an olive branch for symbol of peace and ear for Anatolia.
| width = 225
| position =  right
| margin = 0
}}

'''<span lang="om" dir="ltr">Lira</span>''' is the name of several [[currency]] units. It is the current [[Turkish lira|currency of Turkey]] and also the local name of the [[Lebanese pound|currencies of Lebanon]] and of [[Syrian pound|Syria]]. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of [[Italy]], [[Malta]] and [[Israel]]. The term originates from the value of a [[Roman pound]] ({{langx|la|libra}}, about 329g, 10.58 troy ounces) of high purity silver. The {{lang|la|[[Libra (weight)|libra]]}} was the basis of the monetary system of the Roman Empire. When Europe resumed a monetary system, during the [[Carolingian Empire]], the Roman system was adopted. The Roman denominations  {{lang|la|librae, solidi, denarii}} were used (becoming known in England as [[£sd]]).

Specifically, this system was kept during the [[Middle Ages]] and [[Modern Age]] in England, France, and Italy. In each of these countries the {{lang|la|libra}} was translated into local language: [[pound (currency)|pound]] in England, {{lang|fr|[[French livre|livre]]}} in France, {{lang|it|[[Italian lira|lira]]}} in Italy. The [[Venetian lira]] was one of the currencies in use in Italy and due to the economic power of the Venetian Republic a popular currency in the Eastern Mediterranean trade.

During the 19th century, the [[Ottoman Empire]] and the [[Egypt Eyalet|Eyalet of Egypt]] adopted the {{lang|tr|lira}} as their national currency, equivalent to 100 [[piaster]]s or [[kuruş]]. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed between 1918 and 1922, many of the successor states retained the lira as their national currency. In some countries, such as [[Cyprus]], which have belonged to both the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire, the words ''lira'' and ''[[pound (currency)|pound]]'' are used interchangeably.

== Lira sign ==
{{see also|Italian lira#Notation and symbols}}
For the [[Turkish lira]], the [[Turkish lira#Currency sign|Turkish lira sign]] ({{unichar|20BA|Turkish lira sign}}) is used. The [[Lebanese pound|Lebanese lira]] uses {{char|£L}} (before numerals) or {{char|L.L.}} (after numerals) in [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] and {{char|{{lang|ar|ل.ل.}}}} in [[Arabic script|Arabic]]. The [[Syrian pound|Syrian lira]] uses {{char|£S}} (before numerals) or {{char|L.S.}} (after numerals) in [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] and {{char|{{lang|ar|ل.س}}}} in Arabic.

The [[Italian lira]] had no official sign, but the abbreviations {{char|L.}} and {{char|Lit.}} and the symbols {{char|₤}} (two bars), {{char|£}} (one bar) were all commonly used.<!-- For a more detailed description and citations, see Italian lira#Notation and symbols. -->

The [[Maltese lira]] used {{char|£M}} before 1986 and {{char|Lm}} thereafter (both as prefixes), though £M continued to be used in unofficial capacities.

The [[Unicode]] system allocated {{unichar|20A4|lira sign}} to the [[Italian lira]], to provide compatibility with a legacy HP character set.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Unicode Standard {{!}}Version 8.0 – Core Specification |chapter=Chapter 22 Symbols |chapter-url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode8.0.0/ch22.pdf |publisher=The Unicode Consortium |quote='''Lira Sign''': A separate currency sign U+20A4 lira sign is encoded for compatibility with the HP Roman-8 character set, which is still widely implemented in printers. In general, U+00A3 pound sign may be used for both the various currencies known as pound and the currencies known as lira. Examples include the pound unit in sterling, the historic Irish punt, and the former lira currency of Italy.}}</ref> As with {{unichar|00A3|pound sign}}, where [[pound sign#Double bar style|the one-bar and the two-bar versions]] are treated as [[allograph]]s and the choice between them is merely stylistic, no evidence has been found that either style predominated in Italy or anywhere else.

==Current uses==

===Turkey===
The [[Turkish lira]] was introduced in 1844 during the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] reign. The Turkish lira is now the currency of Turkey and the [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]], and used in [[Turkish occupation of northern Syria|Turkish-occupied northern Syria]].

===Lebanon and Syria===
The [[Lebanese pound]] and [[Syrian pound]] are both called "lira" ({{lang|ar|ليرة}}) in [[Arabic]], the national language of both Lebanon and Syria.

==Historic use==
===Italy===
{{main|Italian lira}}
The lira was the currency of Italy from [[unification of Italy|its unification]] until it was merged into the [[euro]] in 1999.<ref name=Brown>{{cite book |title=The Merchants' Handbook |year=1872 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PxgDn3HStEEC&pg=PA46  |pages=46{{ndash}}50 |first=William Alfred |last= Browne |edition=Second |publisher=Edward Stanford |location=London}}</ref>  A unit of currency lira had previously been used in some of the states and possessions that became Italy but their values were not necessarily equivalent. (See [[Luccan lira]],  [[Papal lira]], [[Parman lira]], [[Sardinian lira]] and [[Tuscan lira]].)

==Former currencies named lira==
* [[Cypriot pound|Cypriot lira/pound]] 1879–2007; merged into the [[euro]], 2008
* [[French livre]] 781–1794; became the French [[franc]]
* [[Israeli pound|Israeli lira/pound]] 1948–1980; replaced by the [[Old Israeli shekel|old shekel]] in 1980.
* [[Italian lira]] 1861–2002; merged into the [[euro]], 1999 (notes and coins from 2002)
* [[Italian East African lira]] 1938–1941; supplanted by the [[East African shilling]]
* [[Italian Somaliland lira]] 1925–1926; replaced by the Italian East African lira
* [[Luccan lira]] until 1800 and 1826–1847; merged into the Italian lira
* [[Maltese lira]] 1825–2007; merged into the [[euro]], 2008
* [[Neapolitan lira]] 1812–1813; merged into the Italian lira
* [[Ottoman lira]] 1844–1923; became the Turkish lira
* [[Papal lira]] 1866–1870; became the Vatican lira at par with the Italian lira
* [[Parman lira]] before 1802 and 1815–1859; merged into the Italian lira
* [[Sammarinese lira]] 1860s–2002; merged into the euro
* [[Sardinian lira]] 1816–1861; merged into the Italian lira
* [[Tripolitanian lira]] 1943–1951; replaced by the [[Libyan pound]]
* [[Tuscan lira]] until 1807 and 1814–1826; merged into the Italian lira
* [[Vatican lira]] 1929–2002; merged into the euro
* [[Venetian lira]] 1472–1807; merged into the Italian lira

==See also==
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics}}
* [[Pound (currency)]], the linguistic equivalent of the word "lira" in [[English language|English]].
* [[Lira sign]], which varies by currency, as does its status

==Further reading==
*Carlo M. Cipolla, ''Le avventure della lira'', Bologna, Il Mulino, 1975.
*Stefano Poddi, "La lunga storia della lira", stralcio, ''Fondazioni'', n. 2 marzo-aprile, 2008. Roma.
*Stefano Poddi, "La lunga storia della lira", articolo completo, ''Difesa e Lavoro'', settembre 2008.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/business/2001/euro_cash/spent_currencies/lira.stm Overview of Italian lira from the BBC]

{{Pound (currency)}}

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[[Category:Currencies of Europe]]
[[Category:Currencies of Italy]]
[[Category:Currencies of Malta]]
[[Category:Currencies of San Marino]]
[[Category:Currencies of Vatican City]]
[[Category:Pound (currency)]]