lībra1
Meaning
- historicallibra, Roman pound, a Roman unit of mass, equivalent to about 327 g
- scales, a tool used to balance two weights to measure amounts
- level, a tool used to check surfaces for horizontal and vertical alignment
- Medieval LatinNew Latinpound, any of various units of mass derived from or roughly equivalent to the Roman libra
- Medieval LatinNew Latinpound, any of various currencies derived from the use of pound as a weight in silver
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
īnstrūmentum ponderandīChoosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Libra · Pondo
Libra pondo is the full expression, literally a balance in weight, that is, a scale, filled so as to balance a pound; libra (λεῖος) is a less definite expression, inasmuch as leaving out the pondo, makes it doubtful whether the balance itself be not understood; pondo is an elliptical expression, in which the principal notion, weight, is expressed, and the accessory notion left out; the scale that is filled must balance the definite weight. In a similar manner operæ pretium est, is distinguished from operæ est, and from pretium est. (vi. 195.)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | lībra | lībrae |
| genitive | lībrae | lībrārum |
| dative | lībrae | lībrīs |
| accusative | lībram | lībrās |
| ablative | lībrā | lībrīs |
| vocative | lībra | lībrae |
as erat libra pondus, Varr. L. L. 5, § 169 Müll.: coronam auream libram pondo ex publica pecunia in Capitolio Iovi donum posuit, Liv. 4, 20: mulli binas libras ponderis raro exsuperant, Plin. 9, 17, 30, § 64: expende Hannibalem, quot libras in duce summo invenies? Juv. 10, 147: neque argenti in convivio plus pondo quam libras centum inlaturos, Gell. 2, 24, 2: dipondii pondo duas erant libras, Gai. Inst. 1, 122.—frumenti denos modios et totidem olei libras, Suet. Caes. 38.—cum in alteram librae lancem animi bona imponebat, in alteram corporis, etc., Cic. Tusc. 5, 17, 51; cf. id. Fin. 5, 30, 91.—sin autem locus ... pari libra cum aequore maris est, Col. 8, 17, 4: libratur autem dioptris aut libris aquariis aut chorobate, Vitr. 8, 6, 1.—Hence, ad libram: alteram navem pluribus aggressus navibus in quibus ad libram fecerat turres, of equal height or of equal weight, Caes. B. C. 3, 40, 1.—contra flatus quoque pervicax libra Bononiensibus calamis, Plin. 16, 36, 65, § 161: aes et libra, v. aes.—felix aequato genitus sub pondere Librae, Manil. 4, 545.—Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
Origins
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 litre. 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”).
- Italianlibra
- Catalanlirafrom Italian libra
- Englishlirafrom Italian libra
- GermanLirafrom Italian libra
- Portugueselirafrom Italian libra
- Spanishlirafrom Italian libra
- Italianlibbra
- Italianlira
- Czechlirafrom Italian libra
- Faroeselirifrom Italian libra
- Catalanlliura
- Frenchlivrefrom Old French livre
- Englishlivrefrom Old French livre
- Romanianlivrăfrom Old French livre
- Louisiana Creolelivfrom Old French livre
- Portugueselibra
- Spanishlibra
- Galicianlibra
- Tagaloglibrafrom Spanish libra
- Piedmonteselivra