▪ I. † leve, n. Obs.
Forms: 1 (ᵹe)léafa, 2 i-leafe, leave, 3 leaf, lefve, Orm. læfe, 3–4 leve.
[OE. ᵹeléafa, léafa str. masc. = OFris. láva, OS. gilôƀo (MDu. gelôve, Du. geloof), OHG. giloubo (MHG. geloube, G. glaube); Goth. has galaubeins, with different suffix; related to Goth. galaubjan: see y-leve, believe vbs.]
Belief, faith; occas. trust.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 10 Ne fand ic suæ miclo leafa [c 1000 Ags. Gosp. ᵹeleafan] in israhel. c 1000 ælfric Gram. Pref. (Z.) 3 Forðan ðe ðurh lare byð se ᵹeleafa ᵹehealden. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 We sulen habben ure heorte and habben godne ileafe to ure drihten. Ibid. 57 Mid al þis haue þu charite and soðfeste leaue. c 1200 Ormin 2776 Godess þeoww birrþ habbenn her Aȝȝ soþfasst læfe o Criste. c 1205 Lay. 16840 Ȝif heo wulleð cristindom mid gode lefue vnder-fon. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 384 Ich iseo wel..þat tu were iset ȝung to leaf & to lare. a 1275 Prov. ælfred 548 in O.E. Misc., Haue þu none leue to þe þad after þe bileued. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 247 Noþeles he wild haf briggid, þe fals leue & erroure. |
▪ II. † leve, v.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 léfan, l{yacu}fan, 2–5 leve(n, 3 le(a)fen, 4 leeve, Sc. lewe, 5 leef.
[OE. (Anglian) léfan, (WS.) l{yacu}fan = OHG. (ar)louban (MHG., mod.G. (er)louben), ON. l{obar}yfa, Goth. (us)laubjan, f. OTeut. *lauƀâ leave n.1]
trans. To grant permission to; allow, permit. Also (esp. of God or Christ), to grant. With personal obj. (? orig. dat.) and inf. or clause; also absol.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. Pref. 4 We hit nohwæðer ne selfe ne lufedon ne eac oðrum monnum ne lifdon. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xix. 8 Moyses..lyfde eow eower wif to forlætenne. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 11 Þet he us leue swa libben on þisse scorte liue þet [etc.]. c 1200 Ormin 8873 Godd Allmahhtiȝ lefe uss swa To forþenn Cristess wille. c 1220 Bestiary 303 Vre louerd crist it leue us ðat his laȝe us fede. a 1225 Juliana 28 Lef me þat ich mote þe treowliche luuien. a 1225 St. Marher. 12 Leaf me gan. a 1225 Ancr. R. 88 Vre Louerd..ne leue ou neuer stinken þene fule put. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2532 God leue hem in his blisse spilen among engeles & seli men. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxvi. (Nycholas) 632 Þat he wald lewe þam to say þe story of sancte nicholas. c 1375 Barbour Bruce xix. 126 Of the kyngis curtasye, That levit him debonarly Till do of his land his liking. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 2083 Ariadne, And leue me nevere swich a cas be-falle. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. i. 149 Crist..leue þe lede so þy londe þat leaute þe louye. c 1400 Destr. Troy 8048 And þes wordes ho warpit, as hir wo leuit. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 28 Þat onely a man vse his power in to ilk þing, as God..lefiþ him to vse it. c 1450 Holland Howlat 534 As our Roy levit, The Dowglass in armes the bludy hart beris. c 1470 Henry Wallace iv. 38 Thocht a subiet in deid wald pass his lord, It is nocht lewyt be na rychtwis racord. Ibid. vi. 262 Wemen thai lewit and preistis, on the morn, To pass thar way. c 1510 Gest Rob. Hode i. in Arb. Garner VI. 430 God leve that he be true. 1513 Douglas æneis iii. vi. 203, I am levit with my wordis the to charge. |
▪ III. † leve, v.2 Obs.
Forms: 1 léfan, l{iacu}efan, l{yacu}fan, 2–3 luven, 2–5 leve(n, 3, 5 lefen, (3 leaven, leove), 3–4 live(n, (4 lieve, lyff, lyve), 5–6 leev(e, Sc. leif.
[OE. (Anglian) léfan, (WS.) l{iacu}efan, a shortened form of ᵹeléfan, ᵹel{iacu}efan: see y-leve, believe vbs.]
1. intr. To believe in, on, up, upon; also to trust, give credence to a person or thing; = believe 1.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 75 To luuene ine god mote fif þing. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 11 Cursed be þe man þe leueð upen hwate. c 1200 Ormin 939 Hu ȝuw birrþ leden ȝuw And lefenn uppo Criste. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 328 Me hwet is mare medschipe þen for to leuen on him. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xvii. 20 Lo here in my lappe þat leued on þat charme, Iosue and Iudith. 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xxxii. 27 Who leeueth to God, taketh heed to the hestes. a 1400 Pistill Susan 358 Who so leviþ [MS. A. leeueþ] on our lord dar hym not lese. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 73 Ȝhe, Conscience, now to þi wordis y leeue. c 1430 How Good Wife taught Dau. 159 in Babees Bk., Nocht leif to vantoune giglotriss. c 1450 Erle Tolous 555 My wele, my wytt, ys all away, But ye leue on my lore. c 1470 Golagros & Gaw. 1107 To leif in thi laute. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 944 My treuth I the plicht, That I sall lelely leef on thy Lord ay. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (1858) II. 168 That all quhilk leuit vpone Christis lair, In his defence sould follow. |
b. Without construction: To exercise faith.
| a 900 O.E. Martyrol. 8 Nov. 202 Ða lyfde se gode ond fulwihte onfeng. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 81 We wolden sen sum fortocne of þe Warbi we mihten..leuen. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1703 Þenne he laued þat lorde & leued in trawþe. a 1352 Minot Poems iii. 16 Leves wele it es no lye. 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xix. 4 Who leeueth sone, is liȝt in herte. 14.. How Wise Man taught Son in Ritson Anc. Pop. Poetry 36 Common women, as j leve Make zong men evyle to spede. c 1440 Partonope 83 Levyth [printed lenyth] well this ys no fable. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. (E.E.T.S.) 396 Ther he lyves in flesh and blood, as fully leeven we. |
2. trans. a. To believe, give credence to (a person); occas. to believe in, to trust. b. To believe, give credence to (a thing, also with obj. clause either with or without that); to accept (an alleged fact, a statement); = believe 5–8.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 11 Swa is to lyfenne þæt englas hie ᵹeorne beheoldan. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 75 Þet ne leueð nan bute þe gode cristene Mon. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 430 Ȝef ha nalde leauen þat ha ȝet lefde. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 935 Abram leuede ðis hot in sped. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6858 Þe kyng leuede him wel ynou. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 69 Þe lyȝt of hem myȝt no mon leuen. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 1584 Allas! Allas!..That y no hadde leued thi word! a 1330 Roland & V. 302 Who þat wil nouȝt leue me, In spaine men may þe soþe y-se. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 925 (Kölbing) Þine tale ich no leue. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 36 Leef not þi licam, for lyȝere him techeþ. 1377 ― P. Pl. B. xviii. 187 Leuestow that ȝond liȝte unlouke myȝte helle. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 10 But goddis forbode but men schulde leue Wel more thyng than men han seyn with eye. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 333 It wole liȝtly be leeued of lewid men. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xx. 221 We wolde never han leved it, had wee not seen it. 1414 Brampton Penit. Ps. (Percy Soc.) 31 Now may no man othir levyn. 1426 Audelay Poems 12 Leve he is a lyere. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 82 That ye take no yeftes, nor leuithe none euelle counsaile. c 1450 Merlin 11 The lecherye that thow hast told, wher-of I can not leve the. c 1470 Golagros & Gaw. 71 Leif ye the lele. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 852 A mountayne or hyll soner, leue ye me, Myght be remoeued. Ibid. 2266 They toke hym tenderly, ye may me leue full sure. a 1547 Surrey æneid ii. 314 Cassandra then..Her prophetes lippes, yet neuer of vs leeued, Disclosed eft. c 1570 Pride & Lowl. (1841) 67 And choose him how this matter he wyl leeven. |
Hence † ˈleving vbl. n., believing.
| 1533 More Confut. Tindale viii. Wks. 799/2 Because it is a presumpteous hope, loking to be saued with damnable deuelyshe lieuing. |
▪ IV. † leve, v.3 Obs. rare—1.
[ad. F. lever to raise.]
trans. To lift up.
| c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn xlix. 191 Sadoyne..leued vp his guysarme vpon him. |
▪ V. leve
obs. form of lave, leaf, lief, live v.