Meanings
comparative more unlief · superlative most unlief
- archaicNot dear or beloved; unliked; unpleasant, hateful.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*unleubaz“not dear, unpleasant”
- Proto-West Germanic*unleub“unloved, unpleasant”
- Old Englishunlēof“not dear, not beloved, odious, hateful”
- Middle Englishunleeffe
- Englishunlief
From Middle English unleeffe, unlef, from Old English unlēof (“not dear, not beloved, odious, hateful”), from Proto-West Germanic *unleub (“unloved, unpleasant”), from Proto-Germanic *unleubaz (“not dear, unpleasant”). By surface analysis, un- + lief. Cognate with Dutch onlief, German unlieb, Icelandic óljúfur (“unpleasant”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
unlief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unlief
“unlief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unlief. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unlief,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unlief.
Source: unlief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.