Adjacent Words

Lief definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LIEF, a. [See Love.] Dear; beloved. Obs.
LIEF, adv. [supra. This word coincides with love, L. lubet, libet, and the primary sense is to be free, prompt, ready.]
Gladly; willingly; freely; used in familiar speech, in the phrase, I had as lief go as not. It has been supposed that had in this phrase is a corruption of would. At any rate it is anomalous.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adv
1: in a willing manner; "this was gladly agreed to"; "I would fain do it" [syn: gladly, lief, fain]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English lief, lef, from Old English l?of; akin to Old English lufu love Date: before 12th century 1. archaic dear, beloved 2. archaic willing, glad II. adverb Date: 13th century soon, gladly <I'd as lief go as not>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adv. archaic gladly, willingly. (usu. had lief, would lief) Etymology: orig. as adj. f. OE leof dear, pleasant, f. Gmc, rel. to LEAVE(2), LOVE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lief Lief (l[=e]f), n. Same as Lif.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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[=u]fr, Sw. ljuf, Goth. liubs, and E. love. [root]124. See Love, and cf. Believe, Leave, n., Furlough, Libidinous.] 1. Dear; beloved. [Obs., except in poetry.] ``My liefe mother.'' --Chaucer. ``My liefest liege.'' --Shak. As thou art lief and dear. --Tennyson. 2. 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. 3. Willing; disposed. [Obs.] I am not lief to gab. --Chaucer. He up arose, however lief or loth. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lief Lief, n. A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

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.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

ad. Willingly, gladly, freely.