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Tuesday - October 8, 2024

In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.
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1828 Noah Webster Dictionary
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1828.mshaffer.comWord [lief]

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lief

LIEF, a. [See Love.] Dear; beloved. Obs.

LIEF, adv. [supra. This word coincides with love, L. lubet, libet, and the primary sense is to be free, prompt, ready.]

Gladly; willingly; freely; used in familiar speech, in the phrase, I had as lief go as not. It has been supposed that had in this phrase is a corruption of would. At any rate it is anomalous.



Evolution (or devolution) of this word [lief]

1828 Webster1844 Webster1913 Webster

LIEF, a. [See Love.] Dear; beloved. Obs.

LIEF, adv. [supra. This word coincides with love, L. lubet, libet, and the primary sense is to be free, prompt, ready.]

Gladly; willingly; freely; used in familiar speech, in the phrase, I had as lief go as not. It has been supposed that had in this phrase is a corruption of would. At any rate it is anomalous.

LIEF, a. [Sax. leof, loved; D. lief, G. lieb. See Love.]

Dear; beloved. [Obs.] – Spenser. Shak.


LIEF, adv. [supra. This word coincides with love, L. lubet, libet, and the primary sense is to be free, prompt, ready.]

Gladly; willingly; freely; used in familiar speech, in the phrase, I had as lief go as not. It has been supposed that had in this phrase is a corruption of would. At any rate it is anomalous.


Lief
  1. Same as Lif.
  2. Dear; beloved.

    [Obs., except in poetry.] "My liefe mother." Chaucer. "My liefest liege." Shak.

    As thou art lief and dear. Tennyson.

  3. A dear one; a sweetheart.

    [Obs.] Chaucer.
  4. 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.

    * 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.

  5. Pleasing; agreeable; acceptable; preferable.

    [Obs.] See Lief, adv., and Had as lief, under Had.

    Full lief me were this counsel for to hide. Chaucer.

    Death me liefer were than such despite. Spenser.

  6. Willing; disposed.

    [Obs.]

    I am not lief to gab. Chaucer.

    He up arose, however lief or loth. Spenser.

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Lief

LIEF, adjective [See Love.] Dear; beloved. obsolete

LIEF, adverb [supra. This word coincides with love, Latin lubet, libet, and the primary sense is to be free, prompt, ready.]

Gladly; willingly; freely; used in familiar speech, in the phrase, I had as lief go as not. It has been supposed that had in this phrase is a corruption of would. At any rate it is anomalous.

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It is fundamental to the teaching and understanding the word of God.

— Ted (Tucson, AZ)

Word of the Day

importance

IMPORT'ANCE, n.

1. Weight; consequence; a bearing on some interest; that quality of any thing by which it may affect a measure, interest or result. The education of youth is of great importance to a free government. A religious education is of infinite importance to every human being.

2. Weight or consequence in the scale of being.

Thy own importance know.

Nor bound thy narrow views to things below.

3. Weight or consequence in self-estimation.

He believes himself a man of importance.

4. Thing implied; matter; subject; importunity. [In these senses, obsolete.]

Random Word

stabilitate

STABILITATE, v.t. To make stable; to establish.

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