Word of the day

lief

PRONUNCIATION:

(leef) 

MEANING:

adverb: Willingly; gladly; readily.
adjective: 1. Dear, beloved. 2. Willing.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old English leof (dear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leubh- (to love or to care), which also gave us love, belief, and leave (permission). Earliest documented use: 897.

USAGE:

"'Do you fancy squirrel, Reverend?' my Victorian-era grandmother Susie is reported to have asked the family's luncheon guest ... 'Madam,' the Methodist minister replied, 'I'd as lief eat a rat.'"
Prudence Mackintosh; I Pore Over My Old Cookbooks; Texas Monthly; Dec 2013.

See more usage examples of lief in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.