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lief

[ leef ]
/ lif /

adverb

gladly; willingly: I would as lief go south as not.

adjective Archaic.

willing; desirous.
dear; beloved; treasured.

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a person given to voluble, empty talk.
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a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.
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Origin of lief

before 900; Middle English leef,Old English lēof; cognate with Dutch lief,German lieb,Old Norse ljufr,Gothic liufs; akin to love

OTHER WORDS FROM lief

liefly, adverb

Words nearby lief

lied, lieder, Liederkranz, lie detector, lie-down, lief, liege, liegeman, Liegnitz, Lie group, lie-in
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lief

British Dictionary definitions for lief

lief
/ (liːf) /

adverb

rare gladly; willinglyI'd as lief go today as tomorrow

adjective

archaic
  1. ready; glad
  2. dear; beloved

Word Origin for lief

Old English leof; related to lufu love
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012