lire French · revision 17445

+ French has two words spelled ''lire'': the verb “to read”, inherited from Latin, and the noun ''lire'' “lira”, borrowed from Italian.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)

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+ {{homograph|1|to read}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis|origins=la legō}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /liʁ/^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Forms==

+ '''lire'''^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb is [[inh|fro|lire]], [[inh|la|legō|t=to gather; to choose; to read]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|5, 242a)^(Wiktionary) 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”.^(DHLF 1992) The other senses of the Latin verb live on in the French descendants of its compounds, as [[cueillir]], [[élire]] and [[intelligent]].^(DHLF 1992) It is compared with [[grc|λέγω|tr=légō|t=to gather; to say]], from [[ine-pro|*leǵ-]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)^(Littré 1873) The past participle “lu” (Old French “leü”) supposes a remade verb, Old French also had “liz”, from [[m|la|lēctus]].^(Littré 1873)

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+ Cognate with [[it|leggere]], [[ca|llegir]], [[es|leer]] and [[pt|ler]].^(Littré 1873)^(REW 1935)

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+ ==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.^(TLFi)

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+ ==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''.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) ''Lire quelqu'un'', to read an author, is in Joinville (1306).^(TLFi)

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+ 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'').^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) Classical French said ''lire une langue'' (1694) for understanding it.^(DHLF 1992) Technical senses include reading a weaving pattern (1723) and reading music (1765); in computing and media the verb now means “to play” a recording.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1050 – ''Lire'' in the ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1119 – Reading a book to learn, in Philippe de Thaon.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1150 – “To teach, lecture”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1306 – ''Lire quelqu'un'', in Joinville.^(TLFi)

+ * 1592 – ''Lire dans les yeux'', in Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1636 – “To make out the meaning of signs”, in Corneille.^(TLFi)

+ * 1765 – Reading music, in the ''Encyclopédie''.^(TLFi)

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+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|read]] letters, words or a text, silently or aloud: ''apprendre à lire'', ''lire le journal''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To read an author or a work: ''lire Proust''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ # To [[m|en|decipher]], make out: ''lire une carte'', ''lire la musique'', ''lire dans les pensées''.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(computing, media)'' To read data; to play a recording.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Se lire'': to be read; to show: ''la peur se lisait sur son visage''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[relire]]

+ * [[liseur]]

+ * [[lisible]]

+ * [[illisible]]

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+ {{homograph|2|lira}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1592|origins=la lībra}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /liʁ/^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Forms==

+ '''lire''' ''f'' (plural lires)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ The currency is [[bor|it|lira]], from [[la|lībra|t=pound]], the same source as French [[livre]] “pound”.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is recorded in 1592.^(Grand Robert 2005)

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+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[m|en|lira]], the former money of Italy and the currency of Turkey and other countries.^(Wiktionary)^(Grand Robert 2005)

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[élire]]

+ * [[lecteur]]

+ * [[légende]]

+ * [[lecture]]

+ * [[la|legō]]

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}