*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lire

From Middle English lire, lyre, from Old English līra (“any fleshy part of the body, muscle, calf of the leg”), from Proto-Germanic *ligwizô, *lihwizô (“thigh, groin”), from Proto-Indo-European *lekʷs-, *lewks- (“groin”)

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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

Flesh, brawn, or muscle; the fleshy part of a person or animal in contradistinction to the bone and skin. · The fleshy part of a roast capon, etc. as distinguished from a limb or joint.

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

From Middle English lire, lyre, from Old English līra (“any fleshy part of the body, muscle, calf of the leg”), from Proto-Germanic *ligwizô, *lihwizô (“thigh, groin”), from Proto-Indo-European *lekʷs-, *lewks- (“groin”). Cognate with Dutch lies (“groin”), Swedish lår (“thigh”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionlireenm
  • Inherited-form mentionlīraang
  • Inherited-form mention*ligwizôgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*lekʷs-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionliesnl
  • Cognate mentionlårsv
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lire"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lire"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "līra",
        "4": "",
        "5": "any fleshy part of the body, muscle, calf of the leg"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English līra (“any fleshy part of the body, muscle, calf of the leg”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ligwizô"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ligwizô"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*lekʷs-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *lekʷs-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "lies",
        "3": "",
        "4": "groin"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch lies (“groin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "lår",
        "3": "",
        "4": "thigh"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish lår (“thigh”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lire",
      "lire#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lyre",
      "lyre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "līra",
      "lira#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*ligwizô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ligwizô"
    ],
    [
      "*lihwizô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lihwizô"
    ],
    [
      "*lekʷs-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lekʷs-"
    ],
    [
      "*lewks-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lewks-"
    ],
    [
      "lies",
      "lies#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "lår",
      "lår#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Flesh, brawn, or muscle; the fleshy part of a person or animal in contradistinction to the bone and skin.",
        "The fleshy part of a roast capon, etc. as distinguished from a limb or joint."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The cheek. · Face; appearance of the face or skin; complexion; hue.

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

From Middle English lire, lyre, from Old Norse hlýr (“cheeks”, plural). Compare Middle English lere, from Old English hlēor (“cheek, countenance, complexion”). More at leer.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionlireenm
  • Derivation mentionhlýrnon
  • Cognate mentionlereenm
  • Cognate mentionhlēorang
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lire"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lire"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "hlýr",
        "4": "",
        "5": "cheeks",
        "pos": "plural"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse hlýr (“cheeks”, plural)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "lere"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lere"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "hlēor",
        "3": "",
        "4": "cheek, countenance, complexion"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hlēor (“cheek, countenance, complexion”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lire",
      "lire#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lyre",
      "lyre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hlýr",
      "hlýr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "lere",
      "lere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hlēor",
      "hleor#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "leer",
      "leer#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The cheek.",
        "Face; appearance of the face or skin; complexion; hue."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

The Manx shearwater (bird).

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

From Old Norse líri. Cognate with Norwegian lira.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionlírinon
  • Cognate mentionlirano
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "líri"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse líri"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "lira"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian lira"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "líri",
      "líri#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "lira",
      "lira#Norwegian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The Manx shearwater (bird)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Orkney",
        "Scotland",
        "Shetland",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "cbd7b796a83eae6ad81b51bf1da016b22abcfb1484cef1ebe2f457feaf77624e",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 171896
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

plural of lira

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

Borrowed from Italian lire.

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": "it:lire",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Italian\", \"term\" : \"lire\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"it\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lire\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lire\">\nBorrowed from Italian lire."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "it:lire",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Italian lire."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lire",
      "lire#Italian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "plural of lira"
      ],
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        "form-of",
        "plural"
      ],
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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 lire →

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-bGlyZQ