Standard Lemma guide

lief

adj · adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈliːf/
  • [ˈlɪi̯f]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːf
  • homophone: leaf
  • CMU ARPABET: L IY1 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Beloved, dear, agreeable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Ready, willing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Readily, willingly, rather.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

Examples

  • I'd as lief have one as t'other.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

in a willing manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • this was gladly agreed to
  • I would fain do it

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gladly, fain

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English lef, leve, leef, from Old English lēof, from Proto-West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic *leubaz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian ljo, ljoo, ljoof, West Frisian leaf, Dutch lief, German Low German leev, German lieb, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk ljuv, Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 (liufs), Russian любо́вь (ljubóvʹ), Polish luby. For the adverb, compare German lieber, Dutch liever (“preferably, rather”).

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Russian: люби́мый (ljubímyj) — beloved, dear, agreeable
  • Russian: дорого́й (dorogój) — beloved, dear, agreeable
  • Swedish: kär — beloved, dear, agreeable
  • Bulgarian: охотен (ohoten) — willing
  • Russian: охо́тный (oxótnyj) — willing
  • Bulgarian: охотно (ohotno) — Readily, willingly
  • Russian: охо́тно (oxótno) — Readily, willingly