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. &fist; 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.
Lief , n. A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Lief (lēf),
a. [Written
also lieve.]
[OE.
leef, lef, leof, AS. leóf; akin to OS.
liof, OFries. liaf, D. lief, G. lieb, OHG.
liob, Icel. ljūfr, Sw. ljuf, Goth. liubs, and E. love. √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. (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.
Lief (lēf),
n. Same as Lif.
Hear it pronounced