LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

lyra

lyra f (genitive lyrae)
Classical[ˈly.ra]Ecclesiastical[ˈliː.ra]

Meaning

  1. femininelyre, lute
    ‘septēna putāris, Plēiadum numerum, fīla dedisse lyrae’ ‘‘you are thought to have given seven – the number of the Pleiads – strings to the lyre’’(The muse Calliope credits Hermes/Mercury with inventing the lyre, and giving it seven strings to honor his mother Maia, eldest of the Pleiades (Greek mythology).)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 5.105–106
  2. femininethe northern constellation Lyra

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelyralyrae
genitivelyraelyrārum
dativelyraelyrīs
accusativelyramlyrās
ablativelyrālyrīs
vocativelyralyrae

lўra, ae, f., = λύρα,
I. a lute, lyre, a stringed instrument resembling the cithara, fabled to have been invented by Mercury and presented to Apollo, Hyg. Astr. 2, 7: curvae lyrae parens, Hor. C. 1, 10, 6: Threiciam digitis increpuisse lyram, Ov. H. 3, 118: mox cecinit laudes prosperiore lyrā, id. A. A. 3, 50; Val. Fl. 5, 100.—
II. Transf.
A. Lyric poetry, song: imbellis, Hor. C. 1, 6, 10: Aeoliae Lesbis amica lyrae, Ov. Am. 2, 18, 26; id. P. 3, 3, 45.—
B. In gen., poetic genius: Inferior lyra, Stat. Th. 10, 445.—
C. Lyra, the constellation, the Lyre: exoriente Lyra, Ov. F. 1, 315; cf. Hyg. Astr. 3, 6; Varr. R. R. 2, 5.

Origins

From Ancient Greek λύρᾱ (lúrā, “lyre”).

Descendants
  • Englishlyra
  • EnglishLyra
  • Frenchlyre
  • Italianlira
  • Spanishlira

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesLyraLyra (Lat. fides), a lyre, the chief stringed instrument used in Greek music. Two main varieties are known to us from ancient art and literature, viz.…

Quick answers

What does lyra mean in Latin?
lyra, a noun, means “lyre, lute; the northern constellation Lyra”.
What is the genitive of lyra?
The genitive singular is lyrae. lyra is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce lyra?
In classical Latin, [ˈly.ra]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈliː.ra].