libra

Noun

1. (declension-1, historical) libra, Roman pound, a Roman unit of mass, equivalent to about 327 g
2. (declension-1) scales, a tool used to balance two weights to measure amounts
3. (declension-1) level, a tool used to check surfaces for horizontal and vertical alignment
4. (Medieval-Latin, New-Latin, declension-1) pound, any of various units of mass derived from or roughly equivalent to the Roman libra
5. (Medieval-Latin, New-Latin, declension-1) pound, any of various currencies derived from the use of pound as a weight in silver

Verb

second-person singular present active imperative of lībrō

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈliː.bra]

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. The word's original form was something like Proto-Italic *līðrā, *leiðrā (“pound”), surviving also in Ancient Greek λίτρα (lítra), whence English liter.
Weiss derives the term from Proto-Indo-European *leyH- (“to pour”) suffixed with the instrumental/resultative suffix *-dʰrom, under the assumption that the term originally meant "pouring (of metal)" before evolving to mean a unit of weight. In this case, then cognate with Proto-Slavic *lìti (“to pour”), Proto-Celtic *liyeti (“to flow”), Ancient Greek λείβω (leíbō, “to pour”), Lithuanian li̇́eti (“to let flow”).

Concepts

pound

💷

scales

balance

Synonyms

statera

trutina

Translations

livre

📖

pond

Pfund

funt

libra

libra

lliura

bilancia

balança

رَطْل

λίρα

balance

λίβρα

ζυγός

ζυγαριά