lire

Meaning

Noun

• Flesh, brawn, or muscle; the fleshy part of a person or animal in contradistinction to the bone and skin.
• The fleshy part of a roast capon, etc. as distinguished from a limb or joint.
• The cheek.
• Face; appearance of the face or skin; complexion; hue.
• The Manx shearwater (bird).
• Plural of lira

Origin

• From Middle English lire, lyre, from Old English līra ("any fleshy part of the body, muscle, calf of the leg"), from Proto-Germanic *ligwizô, *lihwizô, from Proto-Indo-European *lekʷs-, *lewks-. Cognate with Dutch lies ("groin"), Swedish lår ("thigh").
• From Middle English lire, lyre, from Old Norse hlýr ("cheeks"). Compare Middle English lere, from Old English hlēor ("cheek, countenance, complexion"). More at leer.
• From Old Norse líri. Cognate with Norwegian lira.
• From Italian lire.