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Lief in Scrabble and Meaning

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What does lief mean? Is lief a Scrabble word?

How many points in Scrabble is lief worth? lief how many points in Words With Friends? What does lief mean? Get all these answers on this page.

Scrabble® and Words with Friends® points for lief

See how to calculate how many points for lief.

Is lief a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word lief is a Scrabble US word. The word lief is worth 7 points in Scrabble:

L1I1E1F4

Is lief a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word lief is a Scrabble UK word and has 7 points:

L1I1E1F4

Is lief a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word lief is a Words With Friends word. The word lief is worth 8 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

L2I1E1F4

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Valid words made from Lief

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Results

4-letter words (3 found)

FILE,LIEF,LIFE,

3-letter words (5 found)

ELF,FIE,FIL,LEI,LIE,

2-letter words (5 found)

EF,EL,FE,IF,LI,

1-letter words (1 found)

E,

You can make 14 words from lief according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

All 4 letters words made out of lief

lief ilef leif elif ielf eilf life ilfe lfie flie ifle file lefi elfi lfei flei efli feli iefl eifl ifel fiel efil feil

Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word lief. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in lief.

Definitions and meaning of lief

lief

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, 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”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /liːf/
  • Rhymes: -iːf
  • Homophone: leaf

Adjective

lief (comparative liefer or liever, superlative liefest or lievest)

  1. (archaic) Beloved, dear, agreeable.
  2. (archaic) Ready, willing.

Synonyms

  • (beloved): See Thesaurus:beloved

Derived terms

  • liefsome

Related terms

  • alderliefest
  • leman
  • livelong

Translations

Adverb

lief (comparative liefer or liever, superlative liefest)

  1. (archaic) Readily, willingly, rather.
    I'd as lief have one as t'other.

Derived terms

  • liefer/liever

Translations

Quotations

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:lief.

Anagrams

  • File, Life, file, filé, flie, life

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch lief, from Old Dutch *liof, from Proto-Germanic *leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lif/, [lif]
  • Hyphenation: lief
  • Rhymes: -if

Adjective

lief (comparative liever, superlative liefst)

  1. nice, sweet
    Synonym: aardig
    Zij heeft een lieve glimlach.
    She has a sweet smile.
    De jongen is heel lief voor zijn hond.
    The boy is very kind to his dog.
    Doesburg is een lief stadje.
    Doesburg is a lovely little town.
  2. beloved, dear
    Lieve zus, van harte gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag
    Dearest sister, congratulations on your birthday
    Diepbedroefd geven wij kennis van het overlijden van mijn lieve man en onze zorgzame vader.
    Deeply saddened, we announce the death of my beloved husband and our caring father.

Usage notes

  • Inappropriate as a salutation in formal or business correspondence; geachte (formal) or beste (somewhat informal) are used instead.

Inflection

Derived terms

  • lieflijk
  • lieveling

Related terms

  • liefde
  • liefhebben

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: lief
  • Negerhollands: lief
  • Papiamentu: lif

Noun

lief n (plural lieven, diminutive liefje n)

  1. one's beloved in a romantic relationship, i.e. a boyfriend or girlfriend

Usage notes

  • May be used as a term of address for romantic partners or loved ones, particularly the diminutive liefje/lieffie and the related substantivized superlative liefste. May be perceived as condescending or sexist as a term of address to strangers or work relations.

See also

  • liever
  • liefde

Anagrams

  • file

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [liːf]
  • Rhymes: -iːf

Verb

lief

  1. first/third-person singular preterite of laufen

Luxembourgish

Verb

lief

  1. second-person singular imperative of liewen

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *liof, from Proto-West Germanic *leub.

Adjective

lief

  1. loved, dear
  2. sweet, nice

Inflection

Derived terms

  • lieven

Descendants

  • Dutch: lief
  • Limburgish: leef

Further reading

  • “lief (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “lief (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Norman

Alternative forms

  • lyef (Sark)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

lief m (plural liefs)

  1. (Jersey) roof

Old Frisian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈli̯ɛːf/

Adjective

liēf

  1. Old West Frisian form of liāf

References

  • Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 115

Old Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈljeɸ]?

Adjective

lief (plural lieues)

  1. Apocopic form of lieue; light, effortless

Scots

Alternative forms

  • (contracted) lee

Etymology

From Middle English lef.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [lif]

Adjective

lief (comparative liefer, superlative liefest)

  1. dear, beloved

Yola

Alternative forms

  • life

Etymology

From Middle English lyf, from Old English līf, from Proto-West Germanic *līb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /liːɸ/

Noun

lief

  1. life

References

  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 54

Zealandic

Etymology

From Middle Dutch lijf, from Old Dutch līf, from Proto-West Germanic *līb.

Noun

lief n (plural [please provide])

  1. body

Source: wiktionary.org