*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of litre

From French litre, from Medieval Latin litra, from Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra, “a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight”). Related to Latin lībra. Doublet of arratel, libbra, Libra, libra, lira, litra, livre, and rottol.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbol: L, l, or ℓ. · A measure of volume equivalent to a litre.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French litre, from Medieval Latin litra, from Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra, “a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight”). Related to Latin lībra. Doublet of arratel, libbra, Libra, libra, lira, litra, livre, and rottol.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "litre"
      },
      "expansion": "French litre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "litra"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin litra"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "λίτρα",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra, “a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "lībra"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lībra"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "arratel",
        "3": "libbra",
        "4": "Libra",
        "5": "libra",
        "6": "lira",
        "7": "litra",
        "8": "livre",
        "9": "rottol"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of arratel, libbra, Libra, libra, lira, litra, livre, and rottol"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "litre",
      "litre#French"
    ],
    [
      "litra",
      "litra#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "λίτρα",
      "λίτρα#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "lībra",
      "libra#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "arratel",
      "arratel#English"
    ],
    [
      "libbra",
      "libbra#English"
    ],
    [
      "Libra",
      "Libra#English"
    ],
    [
      "libra",
      "libra#English"
    ],
    [
      "lira",
      "lira#English"
    ],
    [
      "litra",
      "litra#English"
    ],
    [
      "livre",
      "livre#English"
    ],
    [
      "rottol",
      "rottol#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "word": "लीटर",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "līṭar"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbol: L, l, or ℓ.",
        "A measure of volume equivalent to a litre."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "be45115c8042e1712fea2759602e6620f5cf7f8587f64e638ceca2da5fa469f0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9c2623fb0155887f96bf005e7595ffe7b6e574dcce5b8c9cedb0b38cf6e891d7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 154405
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Lithraea caustica, a Chilean tree or bush.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Spanish litre.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "es:litre",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Spanish\", \"term\" : \"litre\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"es\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"litre\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"litre\">\nBorrowed from Spanish litre."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "es:litre",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Spanish litre."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "litre",
      "litre#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Lithraea caustica, a Chilean tree or bush."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "504d51f6b89f598ecb0c84f140bfbfe768e551498e4d012e77b9f5a5ec042106",
      "rawRecordSha256": "47f9ac97d19687ae6df82212b46b05a839491378084f5a9183eb289b3e7aa1b3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 154406
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for litre →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bGl0cmU