alder-liefest dearest of all, 2 HENRY VI., i. 1. 28 (“ Alder is a corrupted,
or at least modified, form of the original English genitive plural aller or allre;
it is that strengthened by the interposition of a supporting d [a common expedient],”CRAIK; liefest is the
superlative of lief, which means “dear.”
“The A. S. form for this would be allra leofeste.”
Latham's ed. of Johnson's
Dict.
).
A General Glossary to Shakespeare's Works. Alexander Dyce. Boston. Dana Estes and Company. 1904.
This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a high level of accuracy.
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