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lire

Etymology and origin of the French word lire

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inherited borrowed derived
Latin lego
French lire
Latin delego
Latin ablego
Latin praelego
Latin deligo
Latin collega
Latin eligo

French has two words spelled lire: the verb “to read”, inherited from Latin, and the noun lire “lira”, borrowed from Italian.[1][2]

lire1 to read

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis
Inherited from
Latin lego via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (legō)

Pronunciation

Forms

lire[2]

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Old French lire, inherited from Latin legō (“to gather; to choose; to read”).[3][4][5][6][2] The sense “to read” grew out of “to gather, collect” in a way that is not clear: perhaps through phrases such as “legere oculis” “to gather (the letters) with the eyes” or “senatum legere” “to call the roll of the senators”.[4] The other senses of the Latin verb live on in the French descendants of its compounds, as cueillir, élire and intelligent.[4] It is compared with Ancient Greek λέγω (légō, “to gather; to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-.[4][2][7] The past participle “lu” (Old French “leü”) supposes a remade verb, Old French also had “liz”, from lēctus.[7]

Cognate with Italian leggere, Catalan llegir, Spanish leer and Portuguese ler.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, both for following the letters of a text with the eyes and for reading aloud.[3]

Semantic evolution

By the 12th century lire also meant reading a book for instruction (about 1119) and reading an inscription (about 1165); the sense “to teach, lecture” (about 1150) died out in the 17th century but survives in lecteur.[4][3] Lire quelqu'un, to read an author, is in Joinville (1306).[3]

Figurative uses date from the 16th century: lire dans les yeux (1542–1592) and, more generally, “to make out the meaning of signs” (1636, Corneille's Cid).[4][3] Classical French said lire une langue (1694) for understanding it.[4] Technical senses include reading a weaving pattern (1723) and reading music (1765); in computing and media the verb now means “to play” a recording.[3][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Lire in the Vie de saint Alexis.[3]
  • c. 1119 – Reading a book to learn, in Philippe de Thaon.[3]
  • c. 1150 – “To teach, lecture”.[4]
  • 1306 – Lire quelqu'un, in Joinville.[3]
  • 1592 – Lire dans les yeux, in Montaigne.[3]
  • 1636 – “To make out the meaning of signs”, in Corneille.[3]
  • 1765 – Reading music, in the Encyclopédie.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To read letters, words or a text, silently or aloud: apprendre à lire, lire le journal.[9][2]
  2. To read an author or a work: lire Proust.[10]
  3. To decipher, make out: lire une carte, lire la musique, lire dans les pensées.[3][10]
  4. (computing, media) To read data; to play a recording.[2]
  5. Se lire: to be read; to show: la peur se lisait sur son visage.[2][3]

Word family

  • relire
  • liseur
  • lisible
  • illisible

lire2 lira

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1592
Borrowed from
Italian lira
Ultimate origin
Latin (lībra)

Pronunciation

Forms

lire f (plural lires)[2]

Etymology

The currency is borrowed from Italian lira, from Latin lībra (“pound”), the same source as French livre “pound”.[1][5][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is recorded in 1592.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The lira, the former money of Italy and the currency of Turkey and other countries.[2][1]
  • élire
  • lecteur
  • légende
  • lecture
  • Latin legō

References

  1. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 242a
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Lire.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/lire. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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