English
liefly
Liefly comes from Old English lēoflīċe ‘kindly, graciously, gladly, lovingly’, from lēoflīċ ‘worthy of love: lovely, lovable’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰ-‘to desire, love’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰós‘beloved’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubaz‘dear, beloved’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubalīkaz‘lovely’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubalīkareconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lēoflīċ‘worthy of love: lovely, lovable’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150lēoflīċe‘kindly, graciously, gladly, lovingly’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500levely
- Englishtodayliefly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰ-‘to desire, love’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰós‘beloved’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubaz‘dear, beloved’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubalīkaz‘lovely’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leubalīkareconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lēoflīċ‘worthy of love: lovely, lovable’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150lēoflīċe‘kindly, graciously, gladly, lovingly’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500levely
- Englishtodayliefly
Formed from lief + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ‘to desire, love’
…
Proto-Germanic *leubaz ‘dear, beloved’
Proto-West Germanic *leub ‘dear, beloved’
Old English lēof ‘dear, beloved’
Middle English lef ‘beloved, dear’
English lief
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ‘to desire, love’
love, leave, left, believe, library, leaf, lodge, lobby, belief, loft, lib, libel, lob, libido, liber, libretto, luft, 17 more
Today it means
adv willingly; gladly
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- / liefly