lief

From Middle English lef, leve, leef, from Old English lēof, from Proto-West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic *leubaz.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian ljo, ljoo, West Frisian leaf, Dutch lief, German Low German leev, German lieb, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk ljuv, Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 (liufs), Russian любо́вь (ljubóvʹ), Polish luby.

For the adverb, compare German lieber, Dutch liever (“preferably, rather”).

• IPA^(key): /liːf/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -iːf
• Homophone: leaf

lief (comparative liefer or liever, superlative liefest or lievest)

1. (archaic) Beloved, dear, agreeable.
2. (archaic) Ready, willing.

• (beloved): See Thesaurus:beloved

• liefsome

• alderliefest
• leman
• livelong

lief (comparative liefer or liever, superlative liefest)

1. (archaic) Readily, willingly, rather.
   • 1826, Thomas Byerly, John Timbs, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction:

     As far as physiognomy goes, the winners protest that they would as lief have foregone the double points, and the money.

   • 1869, RD Blackmoore, Lorna Doone, II:

     these great masters of the art, who would far liefer see us little ones practice it, than themselves engage [...].

   • 1880, Richard Francis Burton, Os Lusíadas, volume II, page 339:

     Since sware the Parcæ unto me, their friend, / they shall adore my name, my favour prize; / and, as their feats of armèd prowess shend / all feats of rival Rome, I lief devise / some mode of aidance in what things I may, / far as our force o'er man extendeth sway.

   • 1902: "Corner in Chrysanthemums" by Josephine Spenser

     I'd as lief put on my hat and cane and help you if you think they'll be too heavy.

   I'd as lief have one as t'other.

• liefer/liever

lief (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of lif

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:lief.

• File, Life, file, filé, flie, life

From Middle Dutch lief, from Old Dutch *liof, from Proto-Germanic *leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-.

• IPA^(key): /lif/, [lif]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lief
• Rhymes: -if

lief (comparative liever, superlative liefst)

1. nice, sweet

   Synonym: aardig

2. beloved

• lieflijk
• lieveling

• liefde
• liefhebben

• Negerhollands: lief
• → Papiamentu: lif

lief n (plural lieven, diminutive liefje n)

1. one's beloved in a romantic relationship, i.e. a boyfriend or girlfriend

• May be used as a term of address, particularly the diminutive liefje and the related substantivized superlative liefste.

• liever
• liefde

• file

• IPA^(key): [liːf]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːf

lief

1. first/third-person singular preterite of laufen

lief

1. second-person singular imperative of liewen

From Old Dutch *liof, from Proto-West Germanic *leub.

lief

1. loved, dear
2. sweet, nice

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

• lieven

• Dutch: lief
• Limburgish: leef

• “lief (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “lief (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

• lyef (Sark)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

lief m (plural liefs)

1. (Jersey) roof

• IPA^(key): /ˈli̯ɛːf/

liēf

1. Old West Frisian form of liāf

• Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 115

• IPA^(key): [ˈljeɸ]

lief (plural lieues)

1. Apocopic form of lieue; light, effortless
   • c. 1200, Almerich, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 42v.

     ca aſſi diz el criador. fazed en eſta torriente muchos pozos enó ueredes pluuia nj uiéto en conplir ſea eſta torriente de agua. beuredes uos e uŕas beſtias lief coſa es eſta delant el ćador […]

     “For thus says the Creator, ‘Make in this streambed many ditches. And you will see neither rain nor wind, but this streambed will be filled with water. You and your beasts will drink. This is a light thing before the Creator […] .’”

• (contracted) lee

From Middle English lef.

• IPA^(key): [lif]

lief (comparative liefer, superlative liefest)

1. dear, beloved

• life

From Middle English lyf, from Old English līf, from Proto-West Germanic *līb.

lief

1. life

• Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 54

From Middle Dutch lijf, from Old Dutch līf, from Proto-West Germanic *līb.

lief n (plural [please provide])

1. body