Part 681

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Lie (l), n. The position or way in which anything lies; the lay, as of land or country. J. H. Newman.

He surveyed with his own eyes . . . the lie of the country on the side towards Thrace.

Jowett (Thucyd.).

Lie"ber*kühn (l"br*kn), n. [Named after a German physician and instrument maker, J. N. Lieberkühn.] (Optics) A concave metallic mirror attached to the object-glass end of a microscope, to throw down light on opaque objects; a reflector.

Lie"ber*kühn's glands` (l"br*knz glndz`). [See Lieberkühn.] (Anat.) The simple tubular glands of the small intestines; -- called also crypts of Lieberkühn.

||Lied (lt), n.; pl. Lieder (l"dr). [G.] (Mus.) A lay; a German song. ||It differs from the French chanson, and the Italian canzone, all ||three being national. || The German Lied is perhaps the most faithful reflection of the national sentiment.

Grove.

||Lie"der*ta`fel (l"dr*tä`f'l), n. [G., lit., a song table.] (Mus.) A ||popular name for any society or club which meets for the practice of ||male part songs. || Lief (lf), n. Same as Lif.

Lief (lf), a. [Written also lieve.] [OE. leef, lef, leof, AS. leóf; akin to OS. liof, OFries. liaf, D. lief, G. lieb, OHG. liob, Icel. ljfr, Sw. ljuf, Goth. liubs, and E. love. &radic;124. See Love, and cf. Believe, Leave, n., Furlough, Libidinous.] 1. Dear; beloved. [Obs., except in poetry.] "My liefe mother." Chaucer. "My liefest liege." Shak.

As thou art lief and dear.

Tennyson.

2. (Used with a form of the verb to be, and the dative of the personal pronoun.) 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.

3. Willing; disposed. [Obs.]

I am not lief to gab.

Chaucer.

He up arose, however lief or loth.

Spenser.

Lief, n. A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lief, adv. 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.