livre

See also: livré and Livre

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French livre. Doublet of libra and lira.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈliːvɹə/, /ˈliːvə(ɹ)/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːvɹə, -iːvə(ɹ)

Noun

livre (plural livres)

1. (historical) A unit of currency formerly used in France, divided into 20 sols or sous.
   • 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published 2007, page 115:

     They like to see them awarded comfortable pensions. Is it 700,000 livres a year to the Polignac family?

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 30:

     He never, it should be noted, totally renounced his inheritance: a critic of the court round, he benefited to the tune of a cool two million livres a year from royal largesse […] .

2. (historical) An ancient French unit of weight, equal to about 1 avoirdupois pound.

Anagrams

• Elvir, Liver, ervil, levir, liver, rivel, viler

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Bourguignon

Etymology

From Latin liber.

Noun

livre m (plural livres)

1. book

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /livʁ/

• audio (un livre)

  (file)

• Homophones: livres, livrent
• Rhymes: -ivʁ

Etymology 1

From Old French livre, a semi-learned borrowing from Latin liber, librum. Doublet of liber.

Noun

livre m (plural livres)

1. book

   Synonym: bouquin

Derived terms

• à livre ouvert
• lire en quelqu'un comme dans un livre ouvert
• livre audio
• livre blanc
• livre de bord
• livre de chevet
• livre de comptes
• livre de poche
• livre d'heures
• livre d'or
• livre électronique
• livre sonore
• livro-
• parler comme un livre

 

Related terms

• libro-
• librairie f

Descendants

• Louisiana Creole French: liv

Etymology 2

From Old French livre, from Latin libra.

Noun

livre f (plural livres)

1. pound (unit of weight)
2. pound (unit of currency)
3. (Louisiana) grade (level)

Derived terms

• livre sterling

Descendants

• Louisiana Creole French: liv

See also

• franc
• sou
• chelin

Etymology 3

Verb

livre

1. inflection of livrer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “livre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Middle English

Noun

livre

1. Alternative form of lyvere (“liver”)

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Norman

Etymology 1

From Old French livre, a semi-learned borrowing from Latin liber, librum.

Noun

livre m (plural livres)

1. (Jersey) book

Derived terms

• garder les livres (“to keep books, book-keep”)
• livre d'exèrcice (“exercise book”)
• livre d'priéthes (“prayer book”)

 

Related terms

• librairie (“bookshop”)

Etymology 2

From Latin libra.

Noun

livre f (plural livres)

1. pound (unit of measure of mass)

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Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

livre n (definite singular livreet, indefinite plural livre or livreer, definite plural livrea or livreene)

1. Alternative form of livré

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

livre n (definite singular livreet, indefinite plural livre, definite plural livrea)

1. Alternative form of livré

Anagrams

• levri

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Old French

Etymology 1

Semi-learned borrowing from Latin liber, librum.

Noun

livre m (oblique plural livres, nominative singular livres, nominative plural livre)

1. book (collection of sheets of paper in a specific order)

Descendants

• French: livre
• Norman: livre

Etymology 2

From Latin libra.

Noun

livre f (oblique plural livres, nominative singular livre, nominative plural livres)

1. livre (medieval French equivalent of a monetary pound)
2. pound (weight)

Usage notes

• The Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle says that the actual measure varied between 380g and 552g, as opposed to the modern pound which is 454g to the near gram. See references below.

Descendants

• → English: livre
• French: livre

References

• livre on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub
• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (livre, supplement)

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese livre, libre, from Latin līber, from Old Latin loeber, from Proto-Italic *louðeros, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ-er-os, from *h₁lewdʰ- (“people”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Brazil) /ˈli.vɾi/, [ˈli.vɾi]

• IPA^(key): (Portugal) /ˈli.vɾɨ/, [ˈli.vɾɨ]

• Audio (Center-West, Brazil)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: li‧vre

Adjective

livre m or f (plural livres)

1. free
2. unoccupied
3. clear, open

Related terms

• livrar
• liberar
• liberdade
• libertar

Descendants

• Guinea-Bissau Creole: livri, libri

Noun

livre m (plural livres)

1. (soccer) free kick

   Synonym: pontapé livre

Derived terms

• livre direto
• livre indireto

Verb

livre

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of livrar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of livrar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of livrar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of livrar