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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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

lief·ly, adverb

Words nearby lief

liechtenstein, liechtensteiner, lied, lieder, liederkranz, lief, liege, liegeman, liegnitz, lien, lien mobilis
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