Etymograph

English

lief

Lief comes from Middle English lef ‘beloved, dear’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ‘to desire, love’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰ-‘to desire, love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰós‘beloved’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubaz‘dear, beloved’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*leub‘dear, beloved’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150lēof‘dear, beloved’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lef‘beloved, dear’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604lief

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰ-‘to desire, love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰós‘beloved’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubaz‘dear, beloved’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*leub‘dear, beloved’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150lēof‘dear, beloved’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lef‘beloved, dear’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604lief

Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure: “1. Gent. And thou the Veluet; thou art good…”

The story

For the adverb, compare German lieber, Dutch liever (‘preferably, rather’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ‘to desire, love’

love, left, believe, library, lodge, lobby, loft, lib, libel, lob, libido, liber, libretto, luft, 18 more

through Middle English lef ‘beloved, dear’

leave, leaf, lever

Today it means

adj Beloved, dear, agreeable.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- / lief

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