Etymologically
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lief

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Pronunciation

  • /lif/, [lif][1]

Forms

lief (comparative liever, superlative liefst)[1] As a noun: lief n (plural lieven, diminutive liefje n).[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch lief, inherited from Old Dutch lief, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *leub, inherited from Proto-Germanic *leuba- (“dear, beloved”).[2][1][3] The same adjective is Old Saxon liof, Old High German liob (modern German lieb), Old Frisian liāf, Old English lēof (modern English lief), Old Norse ljúfr and Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍆𐍃 (liufs).[2][4][3] The ablauting forms *luba- and *lubōn- gave lof and loven, and the verb geloven belongs to the same group.[2][4][5]

Further relatives are Latin lubet (“it pleases”), the early form of libet, Sanskrit लुभ्यति (lúbhyati, “he desires”), Lithuanian liaupsė (“praise, hymn of praise”) and Old Church Slavonic любъ (ljubŭ, “dear”), all from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to desire, love”).[2][4][1] Franck and Van Wijk think the Slavic adjective is probably not a loan from Germanic.[5] De Vries derives the root from a shorter *leu-, which he also finds in lieden, and suggests that its first sense was the bond within a family or tribe rather than strong desire.[4]

The EWN takes “beloved” as the original meaning, from which came “good-natured, kind, charming”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms the Old Dutch adjective is used as a noun, lieua thina “your beloved ones”.[2][6] Around 1100 the Egmond paraphrase of the Song of Songs has waz himo lief is “what is dear to him”, and the Werden fragments of about 1151 use it in address, liebe uater “dear father”.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In early Middle Dutch the adjective could mean “pleasant”: a text of 1201–1225 says that something was not pleasant to the speaker at all.[2] The sense “friendly, nice” is found in the 17th century.[2][8] The old meaning “beloved, dear” lives on mainly in fixed phrases such as iets voor lief nemen “to put up with something”, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw “Our Lady” and om de lieve vrede “for the sake of peace”, while the adverb has mostly the younger sense, as in lief doen “to be sweet”.[2] The forms liever and liefst serve as the comparative and superlative of graag.[2]

Used as a noun, Middle Dutch lief meant “joy”, in the pair lief ende leet (1265–1270), and “beloved, sweetheart” (1270–1290).[2][9] The diminutive liefken is recorded in 1400–1420 and liefje in 1637; the form without the diminutive is now mainly Belgian.[2] In the north it is often used half mockingly.[8]

The adjective went into Negerhollands (lief), Papiamentu (lif) and older Sranan Tongo (lifi), and the diminutive gave obsolete English leefkyn “sweetheart”.[10] Afrikaans has lief.[1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms have lieua thina “your beloved ones”.[2][6]
  • c. 1100 – The Egmond Willeram has waz himo lief is “what is dear to him”.[2][7]
  • c. 1151 – The Werden fragments address a father as liebe uater.[7]
  • 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch lief means “pleasant”.[2]
  • 1265–1270 – The noun lief “joy” appears beside leet “sorrow”.[2][9]
  • 1270–1290 – The noun is used for a beloved person.[2]
  • 1400–1420 – The diminutive liefken “sweetheart” is recorded.[2]
  • 1637 – Liefje is first recorded.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. beloved, dear: Haar oude hond was haar erg lief.[11][1]
  2. kind and friendly in character: Wat lief dat je even belt.[11][12]
  3. Sweet, pretty to look at: een lief jurkje.[11][1]

Noun

  1. (chiefly Belgium) One's beloved, a sweetheart.[11][1][2]

Word family

  • liefde
  • liefje
  • liefhebben
  • liefkozen
  • lieftallig
  • lieflijk
  • lieveling
  • lieverd
  • lieven
  • believen
  • verlieven
  • allerliefst
  • eilieve
  • madelief

Usage notes

Vaker dan me lief is means “more often than I would like”, and er een lief ding voor overhebben is to want something very much.[11] Lief en leed “joy and sorrow” keeps the old noun sense “joy”.[2][8] Stoett explains die me lief heeft, volgt me, a jocular invitation to come along, as an echo of John 12:26.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  5. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  6. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  7. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  8. ^ a b c Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  9. ^ a b Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
  10. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  11. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  12. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  13. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  14. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie