1. Beloved, dear, agreeable, acceptable, precious. Also lief and dear. a. In attrib. use. Obs. exc. arch.
Beowulf 34 Aledon þa leofne þeoden+on bearm scipes. c1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xvii. 5 Her ys min leofa sunu. c1250 Gen. & Ex. 4136 In to lef reste his sowle wond. a1300 Cursor M. 17 Of tristrem and hys leif ysote. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 136 Loue is þe leuest þing þat vr lord askeþ. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 279 Men made ymages to her leue frendes. a1541 Wyatt Poet. Wks. (1831) 57 For all that can no man bring Lieffer jewel unto his lady dear. 1575 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 145 She should not neede to care for ye leefist frende she had. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. i. 52 My lifest Lord she thus beguiled had. 1601 Munday Death Earl Huntington iii. i. in Hazl. Dodsley VIII. 273 Welcome to Guildford, Salisbury's liefest lord. 1742 Shenstone Schoolmistress 139 In which, when he receives his diadem, Our sov'reign prince and liefest liege is plac'd. 1844 Ld. Houghton Mem. Many Scenes, Valentia 198 Here the sun is pleased to cast Liefest smiles.
†b. Used in addressing a person. Obs.
Beowulf 1216 Bruc ðisses bea¼es, Beowulf leofa, hyse mid hæle. c897 K. Ælfred Gregory's Past. xxxvi. 253 Ðu leofesta broður. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 19 Nimað Šeme nu leofemon hwilche Šife he us Šefeð. a1225 Leg. Kath. 1375 O, leue feren, feire is us i-fallen. c1330 King of Tars 656 Leove sire, trouwe on this. c1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1170 Dido, Now leue sistyr myn what may it be. 1426 Card. Beaufort in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 101 note, Levest earthly Lorde. 1481 Caxton Reynard xx. (Arb.) 50 Lief bellyn wherfore be ye angry. 1513 Douglas Æneis iv. Prol. 91 Thar bene bot few example takis of vther, Bot wilfully fallis in the fyre, leif brother. 1575 Gamm. Gurton ii. iv, Who was it leiue son? speke, ich pray the. 1620 Quarles Jonah K3b, Deare liefest Lord, that feast'st the world with Grace. 1632 Holland Cyrupædia 207 Children mine, liefe and deare, I love you both alike.
c. In predicative use. Const. dat. or to, unto, esp. in liefer was, were, to me, him, etc. with inf. or clause as subject [= ‘I had rather’]. Also Sc. liefis me = dear is to me (see also leeze me). Obs. exc. arch. and dial.
a900 O.E. Chron. an. 755 (Parker MS.) Þa cuædon hie þæt him næni¼ mæ¼ leofra nære þonne hiera hlaford. c1000 Ælfric Gen. xxix. 19 Leofre me ys þæt ic hi¼ sylle þe þonne oðrum men. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 35 Swilche pine ic habbe þet me were leofere þenne al world+most ic habben an alpi þraŠe summe lisse. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 29 Þu shalt ben lef and wurð and liken alle men. c1200 Ormin 14701 To lakenn himm wiþþ þatt tatt himm Iss lefesst off þin ahhte. a1250 Owl & Night. 202 ÞeŠ+leof [v.r. lof] him were nihtegale. a1300 Cursor M. 23936 Þis ilk praier leuedi þou here, For þaa þat ar me lijfe and dere. 13+ E.E. Allit. P. A. 266 Bot Iueler gente if þou schal lose Þy Ioy for a gemme þat þe was lef. 1340–70 Alex & Dind. 562 Hure was lecherie luf. c1380 Sir Ferumb. 1143 Leuere me were by my fay he were to-drawe wyþ hors. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 205 Now ches and tak which you is levere. c1394 P. Pl. Crede 16 Þerfor lerne þe byleue leuest me were. c1422 Hoccleve Jonathas 170 This man to folkes alle was so leef. 1470–85 Malory Arthur iv. xx, Ye haue lefte me the yongest and the fayrest, and she is moost leuest to me. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxv. 42 Full leifis me Šour graceles gane. 1513 Douglas Æneis iii. vii. 37 O levis me! the lykest thing leving, And verray ymage of my Astianax Šing! 1513 More Rich. III, Wks. 63/1 Them wer leuer to leese all that thei haue besyde, then [etc.]. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. iii. 52 Cambel tooke Cambina to his fere, The which as life were each to other liefe. 1597–8 Bp. Hall Sat. iv. ii. 81 Thy fathers odious name, Whose mention were alike to thee as leeue As a catch-pols fist unto a bankrupts sleeue. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. 147 Those who are most leife and deere unto us shall bee slaves. 1614 W. Browne Sheph. Pipe B7 Leuer me were be slaine in this place+Then purpose againe you any fallace. 1647 H. More Song of Soul Lines 8/2 But all are deaf Vnto my Muse, that is most lief To mine own self. 1842 Tennyson Morte D'Arthur 80, I charge thee, quickly go again As thou art lief and dear.
d. In various constructions with have (see have 22, and cf. G. lieb haben, Du. liefhebben): I (etc.) had (occas. have) as lief as, I had (occas. †have) liefer (than), †liefest, with object a n., inf. phrase (with or without to), or subordinate clause. †Also in catachrestic constructions (see have 22c).
In I'd, you'd, he'd (etc.) as lief, the ambiguous contraction is prob. taken to represent would rather than had; the examples are therefore placed under the adv. Actual instances with had might still occur, but only as arch. or dial.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 94/79 For ich habbe leouere þat Še hire ouer-come. Ibid. 471/321 „uyt hadde ich leouere ich were i-huld. 13+ K. Alis. 21 Feole & fille+hadde lever a ribaudye Than to here of God. Ibid. 1234 Theo riche+saide they hadden, sikirliche, Leovere steorve+than [etc]. c1350 Will. Palerne 453, I have lever that love than lac al mi harmes. c1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxix. (Placidas) 390 He had als lef be ded as lef his wyf but remed. c1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 19 Þei han levere to dien in pryde and in malice þan to lyve in mekenes and charite. c1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 919 Leuere ich hadde to dyen on a knyf, Than thee offende trewe deere wif. I Monk's Prol. 5, I hadde leuere than a barel ale That gode lief my wyf hadde herd this tale. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 130, I hadde hir levere than a Myn of Gold. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) v. ii. (1859) 75 Of these thre worldes,+I hadde leuer here speke, than ony thynge elles. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. A4 He had leifer save one citizen and subjects life than kill a thousand enemies. 1643 Trapp Comm. Gen. xxxi. 2 He had as lief have parted with his very heart-blood. 1750 Fielding Tom Jones vii. vii, One had lieverer touch a toad than the flesh of some people. 1756 W. Toldervy Hist. 2 Orphans I. 121 With all my heart,+for I had as liff sit with Lucy or Marget as either of you, and at any time whatsomever. a1766 F. Sheridan Sidney Biddulph IV. 311, I had as lief have let it alone.
†2. Desirous, wishful, willing, glad. Const. of, to with inf. Obs.
[This use app. resulted from a conversion of the construction with dative, him is lief (see 1c) becoming he is lief.]
c1325 Poem times Edw. II (Percy) xliii, The gode-man schal have never a mossel, Be he never so lef. c1330 Arth. & Merl. (Kölbing) 3072 With five hundred noble kniŠtes Hardi & strong, & leue to fiŠtes. a1340 Hampole Psalter cxliii. 4 Man+þat is leuer to lose his saule þan his lust. c1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 298 Þes newe ordris ech on þat ben so lef to lye. Ibid. III. 173 And thus us ow not to be lefe of jugement of men. c1400 Songs Costume (Percy Soc.) 51, I was lefe for to escape. c1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 5428 To saue his londes he was lefe. c1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 487 With a spone lightely to ete your souerayne may be leeff. ?c1475 Sqr. lowe Degre 593 That my father so leve he be That wyll profer me to thee. c1500 Yng. Childr. Bk. 70 in Babees Bk. (1868) 21 Be not lefe to telle tydinge.
3. Antithetically to loath, in senses 1 and 2. Also absol., esp. in for lief or loath. Obs. exc. arch.
Beowulf 511 Ne inc æni¼ mon, ne leof ne lað belean mihte sorhfullne sið. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 183 Al þat me was leof, hit was þe loð. c1300 Havelok 2379 Ne leten he nouth for lef ne loth. c1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1639 Hypsip. & Medea, That he for lef or loth Ne shulde neuere hire false. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. vi, Other for lyef or lothe. c1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 1182 The Cooke, be he loothe or leeff. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 2544 Nowe leue, nowe lothe. 1584 Peele Arraignm. Paris ii. ii, Well, Juno, whether we be lief or loth, Venus hath got the apple from us both. 1647 H. More Song of Soul ii. i. iv. iv, Our adversaries, loth or lief Must needs confesse that [etc.]. 1870 Morris Earthly Par. III. iv. 363 An oath To do my bidding once, if lieve or loath It were to thee. 1883 R. W. Dixon Mano iii. viii. 136 Now hence must I+be I loth or lief.
†4. absol. a. (When used in addressing a superior = Sir! Sire! Lord!) Obs.
c907 Mem. in Earle Land Charters (1888) 162 Leof ic ðe cyðe hu hit wæs ymb ðæt lond æt funtial. c1000 Ælfric Hom. I. 314 Hi+cwædon to ðam apostolon, La leof, hwæt is us to donne. a1175 Cott. Hom. 235 La lief maŠie wiman forŠeten his oŠe cild. c1300 Havelok 2606 ‘Ye lef ye’, couth þe erl gunter. c1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 44 Lefe & dere, My lond is at þi wille. c1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 257 But leve take heed to Cristis wordis. I Wks. (1880) 454 „if he do good to þe chirche in preiyng or in studiynge, leve, what is þis to herdis offis. a1400 Sir Perc. 1 Lef, lythes to me Two wordes or thre Off one that was faire and fre.
I've got the OED on my computer 
