( BrE ) ( NAmE liter ) / ˈliːtə(r); NAmE / noun
( abbr. l ) a unit for measuring volume, equal to 1.76 British pints or 2.11 American pints :
3 litres of water
a litre bottle of wine
a car with a 3.5 litre engine
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: from French , alteration of litron (an obsolete measure of capacity), via medieval Latin from Greek litra , a Sicilian monetary unit.