Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

lief

 - 3 dictionary results
Discount Priced Books
By Philip Lief. Save $5 & Get Free S&H on This Author's Work!
www.DiscountBookSale.com

lief

  [leef]
Use lief in a Sentence
–adverb
1. gladly; willingly: I would as lief go south as not.
–adjective Archaic.
2. willing; desirous.
3. dear; beloved; treasured.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME leef, OE lēof; c. D lief, G lieb, ON ljufr, Goth liufs; akin to love

Related forms:
liefly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lief
Discount Priced Books
By Philip Lief. Save $5 & Get Free S&H on This Author's Work!
www.DiscountBookSale.com
lief   (lēf)   
adv.   lief·er, lief·est
Readily; willingly: I would as lief go now as later.
adj.   liefer, liefest Archaic

  1. Beloved; dear.

  2. Ready or willing.


[Middle English leve, lef, dear, willingly, from Old English lēof, dear; see leubh- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

lief 
O.E. leof "dear," from P.Gmc. *leubo- (cf. O.N. ljutr, O.Fris. liaf, O.H.G. liob, Ger. lieb, Goth. liufs "dear, beloved"), from PIE base *leubh- "love" (see love). A most useful word, now, alas, all but extinct. Want and love are overworked and misused to fill the hole left in the language when this word faded in 17c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see lief on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way