Lira (Pound)'s the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican City (replaced in 1999 with the euro). The term originates from the value of a Troy pound (Latin libra) of high purity silver, and as such's a direct cognate of the British pound sterling; in some countries, such as Cyprus, the words lira and pound are used as equivalents. L, sometimes in a double-crossed script form (₤) or less often single-cr… (More on Lira)