leev
Central Franconian
Alternative forms
- leef (Moselle Franconian, northern), lief (southern)
Etymology
From Middle High German lief, from Old High German *liof, lief, northern variant of liob, from Proto-West Germanic *leub.
Pronunciation
Adjective
leev (masculine leeve, feminine and plural leev or leeve, comparative leever, superlative et leevste)
- (Ripuarian) lovable, sweet, dear, darling, good-hearted
- Woröm säs de mer net ens jet Leeves?
- Why don’t you say something sweet to me for once?
- 1975, “Leev Linda Lou”[1]performed by Bläck Fööss:
- Du verdräs einfach mieh als ich,
Ich jläuv, du drinks mich unger der Desch.
O Linda, Linda, Linda Lou, o Linda, Linda Lou!
Keiner schaff su vill wie du, leev Linda Lou...- You can simply take more than me,
I'm sure you'll drink me under the table.
O Linda, Linda, Linda Lou, o Linda, Linda Lou!
Nobody can drink as much as you, dear Linda Lou...
- You can simply take more than me,
Inflection
| masculine | neuter | feminine | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| positive | ||||||
| predicative / adverbial | leev | |||||
| common case |
strong | leeve | leev | |||
| weak | ||||||
| partitive | leeves | — | ||||
| dative case |
initial | leevem | leever | leeve | ||
| non-initial | leeve | |||||
| comparative | ||||||
| predicative / adverbial | leever | |||||
| common case |
strong | leevere | leever | |||
| weak | ||||||
| partitive | leeveres | — | ||||
| dative case |
initial | leeverem | leeverer | leevere | ||
| non-initial | leevere | |||||
| superlative | ||||||
| predicative / adverbial | et leevste | |||||
| common case |
strong | leevste | ||||
| weak | ||||||
| dative case |
initial | leevstem | leevster | leevste | ||
| non-initial | leevste | |||||
| In this declension type, strong (indefinite) and weak (definite) forms are either not at all distinguished or by tone only. The partitive form follows certain indefinite pronouns like jet (“something”). In the singular dative, there is a simpler distinction between “initial” and “non-initial” position, depending on whether the adjective is the first declined word of the noun phrase or not. | ||||||