Lief

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lief \Lief\, n.
     A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  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.
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           All women liefest would
           Be sovereign of man's love.              --Gower.
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           I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. --Shak.
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           Far liefer by his dear hand had I die.   --Tennyson.
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     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}.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lief \Lief\ (l[=e]f), n.
     Same as {Lif}.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lief \Lief\ (l[=e]f), a. [Written also {lieve}.] [OE. leef, lef,
     leof, AS. le['i]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}.]
     1. Dear; beloved. [Obs., except in poetry.] "My liefe
        mother." --Chaucer. "My liefest liege." --Shak.
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              As thou art lief and dear.            --Tennyson.
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     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}.
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                 Full lief me were this counsel for to hide.
                                                    --Chaucer.
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                 Death me liefer were than such despite.
                                                    --Spenser.
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     3. Willing; disposed. [Obs.]
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              I am not lief to gab.                 --Chaucer.
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              He up arose, however lief or loth.    --Spenser.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  lief
       adj : (`lief' is archaic) very willing; "was lief to go"; "glad to
             help" [syn: {glad}, {lief(p)}]
       adv : in a willing manner; "this was gladly agreed to"; "I would
             fain do it" [syn: {gladly}, {fain}]