Former French monetary units used before the French Revolution, equivalent to pounds. Also the plural of 'livre', meaning books in French.
From Latin 'libra' meaning 'pound' (weight), which became the basis for both monetary and literary meanings in French. The monetary livre was abolished during the French Revolution in favor of the franc, while 'livre' meaning 'book' comes from the same root via the concept of written pounds or volumes.
The word livre creates a fascinating linguistic coincidence - French currency and French books shared the same name, both deriving from the Latin word for 'pound'. This meant that in pre-revolutionary France, asking the price of 'livres' could refer to either money or literature, creating delightful wordplay possibilities.
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