lire
/liΚ/
Definition
To look at written words and understand their meaning.
Example
Elle lit un livre dans le jardin chaque matin.
Show translation
She reads a book in the garden every morning.
Etymology
From Latin *legere* ("to gather, choose, read"), which also gave English "lecture," "legend," and "legible." The Latin root carried the sense of *picking out* letters or words one by one.
Cultural note
France has a deep literary culture β French is the language of Voltaire, Flaubert, and Simone de Beauvoir. The phrase *"lire entre les lignes"* (to read between the lines) is used just as commonly in French as its English equivalent. In schools, *la lecture* (reading) is a cornerstone subject from the earliest grades.