Crossword clues for lief
lief
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Lief \Lief\ (l[=e]f), n. Same as Lif.
Lief \Lief\ (l[=e]f), a. [Written also lieve.] [OE. leef, lef, leof, AS. le['o]f; akin to OS. liof, OFries. liaf, D. lief, G. lieb, OHG. liob, Icel. lj?fr, Sw. ljuf, Goth. liubs, and E. love. [root]124. See Love, and cf. Believe, Leave, n., Furlough, Libidinous.]
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Dear; beloved. [Obs., except in poetry.] ``My liefe mother.''
--Chaucer. ``My liefest liege.''
--Shak.As thou art lief and dear.
--Tennyson. -
Note: (Used with a form of the verb to be, and the dative of the personal pronoun.) Pleasing; agreeable; acceptable; preferable. [Obs.] See Lief, adv., and Had as lief, under Had.
Full lief me were this counsel for to hide.
--Chaucer.Death me liefer were than such despite.
--Spenser. -
Willing; disposed. [Obs.]
I am not lief to gab.
--Chaucer.He up arose, however lief or loth.
--Spenser.
Lief \Lief\, n.
A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.]
--Chaucer.
Lief \Lief\, adv. Gladly; willingly; freely; -- now used only in the phrases, had as lief, and would as lief; as, I had, or would, as lief go as not.
All women liefest would
Be sovereign of man's love.
--Gower.
I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines.
--Shak.
Far liefer by his dear hand had I die.
--Tennyson.
Note: The comparative liefer with had or would, and followed by the infinitive, either with or without the sign to, signifies prefer, choose as preferable, would or had rather. In the 16th century rather was substituted for liefer in such constructions in literary English, and has continued to be generally so used. See Had as lief, Had rather, etc., under Had.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Old English leof "dear, valued, beloved, pleasant;" also as a noun, "a beloved person, friend," from Proto-Germanic *leubo- (cognates: Old Norse ljutr, Old Frisian liaf, Dutch lief, Old High German liob, German lieb, Gothic liufs "dear, beloved"), from PIE root *leubh- "love" (see love (n.)). As an adverb, "dearly, willingly" from c.1250. I want and I'd love to are overworked and misused to fill the hole left in the language when I would lief faded in 17c.
Wiktionary
a. 1 (context archaic English) beloved, dear, agreeable 2 (context archaic English) willing adv. (context archaic except UK dialectal English) readily, willingly.
WordNet
Wikipedia
Lief may refer to:
- Jacob Lief (21st century), American humanitarian
- Lief Larson (born 1975), entrepreneur, futurist and technologist
Usage examples of "lief".
Erlevoort commissies gaan doen, maar Lili had verkozen thuis te blijven en vlijde zich nu behagelijk in een ouderwetschen, ruimen fauteuil, bedekt met oud tapisseriewerk, een gezelligen stoel, die haar lief was.
Rakhat was geland, dat hij niet alleen maar een stuk van het grootste continent had gezien, twee vreemde talen had geleerd en sommige bewoners lief had gekregen.
Het nestje was geheel en al gereed de twee duiven te ontvangen en toch bezocht zij het iederen dag, daar het haar dierbaar was geworden, als een lief speelgoed.
Oppervlakkig bezien heeft ze veel lef en hersens, God hebbe haar lief, maar ze draagt vanbinnen glasscherven met zich mee.
Perzische kussens, hief heur hand omhoog en streelde het blad der aralia, in een houding, die haar lief was.
He had his hands on his hips and was quietly chuckling at the scene before him, as one who, although old, sympathized with the natural and harmless sportiveness of young people and would as lief as not join in a prank or two.
He was both young and very rich, and a mighty man among his townsmen, and well had he learned that ginger is hot in the mouth, and though he had come forth to the war for the increasing of his fame, he had no will to die among the Markmen, either for the sake of the city of Rome, or of any folk whatsoever, but was liefer to live for his own sake.
In Den Haag woonde ik een tijd lang bij een oude dame, de moeder van mijn zwager, die heel lief was en van wie ik veel hield.
Ik vind het heel lief, dat je ons gevraagd hebt: ik heb waarlijk behoefte eens uit al die soesah te zijn, maar door mijzelve kom ik er niet toe.
I like it not, to impose my will on one I would liefer have offer his aid.
He was both young and very rich, and a mighty man among his townsmen, and well had he learned that ginger is hot in the mouth, and though he had come forth to the war for the increasing of his fame, he had no will to die among the Markmen, either for the sake of the city of Rome, or of any folk whatsoever, but was liefer to live for his own sake.
Pennendos, I had much liefer have the foot of a generous and forgiving stranger upon mine than that of a grasping, greedy, cruel, arrogant poseur of a near relative.
We, personally, would much liefer be biding back at our Eagle Palace with our Empress and children than riding long, dusty, weary miles every day, then laying our sore, tired body down in the discomfort and reeking, fetid noisomeness of a military camp every night.
Harold, I'd far liefer be cauld clay, worm-food, than end me days an old, doddering, toothless mon as could eat nothing save gruel and syllabubs, all me strength gone and unable to properly swive even the youngest, bonniest, liveliest girl.
Velcome vill be even your coward's blade, for liefer I vould be dead than alife mitout mein schiffe.