Where does “lief” come from?

lief (Old High German) comes from Old High German liob, from Proto-West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.

Ancestry of “lief”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanliob—
2Proto-West Germanic*leubdear, beloved
3Proto-Germanicleubazdear, beloved
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlewbʰ-to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlēw-to sound, resound, sing out; to leave
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lēw- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic leubaz →