Where does “litre” come from?
Litre comes from French litre, from Medieval Latin litra, from Ancient Greek lítra, a unit of weight and capacity.
litre (English): The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one...
Definitions
- The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one...
Ancestry of “litre”, step by step
litre traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French litre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | litre | litre |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |
via Spanish litre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | litre | Lithraea caustica, a Chilean tree or bush |