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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Lief \Lief\ (l[=e]f), noun Same as {Lif}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Lief \Lief\ (l[=e]f), adjective [Written also {lieve}.] [OE. leef, lef, leof, AS. le['o]f; akin to OS. liof, OFries. liaf, D. lief, G. lieb, OHG. liob, Icel. lj?fr, Sw. ljuf, Goth. liubs, and E. love. [root]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.
Note: (Used with a form of the verb to be, and the dative of the personal pronoun.) Pleasing; agreeable; acceptable; preferable. [Obs.] See {Lief}, adverb, 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.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Lief \Lief\, noun A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Lief \Lief\, adverb 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.
Note: 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}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
lief
adjective: ('lief' is archaic) very willing; "was lief to go"; "glad to help" [syn: {glad}, {lief(p)}]
adverb: in a willing manner; "this was gladly agreed to"; "I would fain do it" [syn: {gladly}, {fain}]
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