lief

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Wherof the lief is after loth

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Definitions (15)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. adverb Readily; willingly: I would as lief go now as later.
  2. adjective Archaic Beloved; dear.
  3. adjective Archaic Ready or willing.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (7)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (4)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Pain began to throb now through Elric's torn arm as Moonglum staggered towards him, grinning in re- lief.
  • I'm with lief, how does #38 work in a TV free week? —  Conflict Zen
  • Who'll be 'it' first I'd just as lief," said Eunice, going to the bow, and putting her fingers in her ears, and burying her head in a cushion What shall we choose for a word? —  Cricket at the Seashore
  • If a man can't h'earn a honest livin' at your time of life, 'e may as lief--_(hiccough)_--drown 'isself Doctor. —  Oh! Susannah! A Farcical Comedy in Three Acts
  • "It's my b'lief, Peter, as that there boy'll turn out either a reg'lar good un, or 'bout the wust as ever stepped Now, sir!" —  Quicksilver The Boy With No Skid To His Wheel
 

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This word has been looked up 106 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English leve, lef, dear, willingly, from Old English lēof, dear; see leubh- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Early modern English also leef, leefe; from Middle English leef, lefe, lef, leve, from Anglo-Saxon leóf = Old Saxon liof = OFries. liaf = Dutch lief = Middle Low German lēf = Old High German liob, Middle High German liep, German lieb = Icel: ljūfr = Swedish ljuf = Gothic (Moesogothic) liubs, dear, beloved, = Old Bulgarian liubŭ = Russian liubŭ, dear (etc., being widely developed in Slavic); akin to L. lubet, libet, it pleases, Sanskritlubh, desire: see liberal. From the same root, and in close relation to lief, are belief, believe, leeve, leave, love, and the disguised compounds furlough, leman, etc.: see these words. From the L. verb are ult. English liberal, liberate, liberty, etc., liver, deliver, livery, etc.
  2. from lief, adjective
 

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/lif/
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