LIEF • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Lief

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/lif/ Listen

noun

Lief n. Same as Lif.

Lief n. A dear one; a sweetheart. (Obs.)

adjective

Lief adj. (Written also lieve)

Dear; beloved. (Obs., except in poetry.) "My liefe mother." "My liefest liege." "As thou art lief and dear."

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." "Death me liefer were than such despite."

Willing; disposed. (Obs.) "I am not lief to gab." "He up arose, however lief or loth."

adverb

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." "I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines." "Far liefer by his dear hand had I die." 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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Etymology of 'Lief'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Lief" Quotes from Famous Books

... awl thyme new ate lief cell dew sell won praise high prays hie be inn ail road rowed by blue tier so all two time knew ate leaf one due sew tear buy lone hare night clime sight tolled site knights maid cede beech waste bred piece sum plum e'er cent son weight tier rein weigh heart wood paws ...

— The Art Of Writing & Speaking The English Language - Word-Study and Composition & Rhetoric • Sherwin Cody

... "I'd as lief speak to 'ee here, in the passage. Indeed I'd rather," said Mrs Penhaligon as he emerged, trowel in hand. "Well, ...

— Nicky-Nan, Reservist • Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (Q)

... the governor would believe—and after what you and me have seen these two days! A nice tenderhearted crew to tell him, "If you please, we've come for a poor little three-year-old." Why, he'd as lief as not believe we meant to ...

— Corporal Sam and Other Stories • A. T. Quiller-Couch

... I had, of course, no intention of marrying her—I would as lief have married a leopardess. But had I given her a peremptory negative she might have had me laid by the heels without more ado, or worse. So I bowed my head and held my tongue, resolving at the same time that, before the expiration of the ten days' respite, I would get out of the country or perish ...

— Mr. Fortescue • William Westall

... Dan. 'I'd des ez lief be anything fer a' hour er so, ef I kin kill dat ole witch. You kin do ...

— The Conjure Woman • Charles W. Chesnutt

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