The lira is a unit of money. Today, when people say lira they usually mean the Turkish lira, the money of Turkey. Italy used the lira for a very long time, and Malta did too, but both switched to the euro, so those old lira are history — you may still see them in old prices, films, or a grandparent's stories. The word came into English from Italian lira, and that came from Latin libra, a Roman pound-weight (the same idea behind lb for pounds). That Latin word also gave English litre, the star sign Libra, and the old French livre. Though actually, one lira is not one amount everywhere: the old Italian lira and today's Turkish lira are different currencies, with different worth. In English the plural is often still lira; in older writing about Italy you will also meet lire. It is a plain money word — a little old-fashioned when the talk is about Italy, current when the talk is about Turkey.