leofre

Part of speech: adjective
IPA: /ˈle͜oːf.re/
[ˈle͜oːv.re]
Syllables: ˈle͜oːf · re (2 syllables)

leofre1 · adjective · inflected form

Senses

inflection of lēof:; strong genitive and dative feminine singular
inflection of lēof:; nominative feminine singular comparative degree
inflection of lēof:; nominative and accusative neuter singular comparative degree
Inflected form of lēof

leofre2 · adverb

Senses

used to specify a choice or preference: rather
Him wæs lēofre þæt hine man ofslōge þonne hine man ġebunde.
He would rather be killed than be bound in chains.
late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

Etymology

The adverbial use dates back at least to Proto-West Germanic, when the word would have been *leubōzā. This usage persists into Modern German to this day: Proto-West Germanic *miz isti leubōzā (“I would rather”) → Old English mē is lēofre, German mir ist lieber.

Descendants

liever

Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/leofre · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution