Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Lief
Lief
(lēf)
, Adj.
[Written also
lieve
.] [OE. ,
leef
, lef
, leof
, AS. leíf
; akin to OS. liof
, OFries. liaf
, D. lief
, G. lieb
, OHG. liob
, Icel. lj[GREEK]fr
, Sw. ljuf
, Goth. liubs
, and E. love
. √124. See Love
, and cf. Believe
, Leave
, Noun.
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.]
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
,Noun.
A dear one; a sweetheart.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
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 notAll women
Be sovereign of man’s love.
liefest
wouldBe sovereign of man’s love.
Gower.
I had as
lief
the town crier spoke my lines. Shakespeare
Far
liefer
by his dear hand had I die. Tennyson.
☞ 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
. Webster 1828 Edition
Lief
LIEF
,Adj.
LIEF
,adv.
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.