lirë

Lirë is an Albanian adjective with meanings connected to freedom, autonomy, and, in everyday usage, affordability. In its primary sense, it describes freedom or lack of restriction: a person, place, or condition can be described as free, and the word appears in expressions related to liberty or unimpeded action, such as a free country or the idea of civil liberties. The term also appears in compound phrases that denote a liberal or unconstrained environment, for example treg i lirë (free market) or vend i lirë (free nation).

In everyday speech, lirë also carries a sense of low cost or affordability. When referring to price, i lirë means cheap or inexpensive, as in çmimi është i lirë (the price is cheap). This usage is common in commerce and advertisements and tends to emphasize value rather than political freedom.

Morphology and usage notes: lirë is an attributive adjective that agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number, with typical forms such as i lirë (masculine singular) and e lirë (feminine singular); plural forms appear as të lirë for the plural or for masculine and feminine nouns depending on agreement. The noun liri, meaning freedom or liberty, is etymologically related to lirë.

See also: liri, liberty.