lira

views updated May 14 2018

lira (It.). (1) The lyre. (2) One of names indiscriminately applied in medieval times to various bowed str. instrs., e.g. rebec and vielle. (3) Part of compound name of such old instr. as lira da braccio, offshoot of the fiddle which evolved in 2nd half of 15th cent. and in size approximated to modern va. It had 7 str., incl. 2 drones, and was used by recitalists who improvised polyphonic accs. It was played against the shoulder, like a vn. Leonardo da Vinci played it. From it developed the lirone or lira da gamba, a combination of bass viol and lira da braccio, held between knees like a vc. It had drone strs., and from 9 to 14 stopped str., tuned in 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. Used in court entertainments c.1550–1650, and in intermedii.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

lira

views updated May 09 2018

li·ra / ˈli(ə)rə/ • n. (pl. li·re / ˈli(ə)rā; ˈli(ə)rə/ ) 1. the basic monetary unit of Italy (until replaced by the euro), notionally equal to 100 centesimos. 2. the basic monetary unit of Turkey, equal to 100 kurus.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

lira

views updated May 17 2018

lira unit of It. currency. XVII. — It. — Pr. liura = F. livre, It. libbra :- L. lībra pound.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

LIRA

views updated Jun 08 2018

LIRA Linen Industry Research Association

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH