shrive

[ shrahyv ]
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verb (used with object),shrove or shrived, shriv·en or shrived, shriv·ing.
  1. to impose penance on (a sinner).

  2. to grant absolution to (a penitent).

  1. to hear the confession of (a person).

verb (used without object),shrove or shrived, shriv·en or shrived, shriv·ing.Archaic.
  1. to hear confessions.

  2. to go to or make confession; confess one's sins, as to a priest.

Origin of shrive

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English shriven, schrifen, Old English scrīfan “to prescribe, impose a penance on (a penitent),” cognate with German schreiben “to write,” ultimately from Latin scrībere “to write, draw”; see scribe1

Other words from shrive

  • un·shrived, adjective

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How to use shrive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shrive

shrive

/ (ʃraɪv) /


verbshrives, shriving, shrove, shrived, shriven (ˈʃrɪvən) or shrived mainly RC Church
  1. to hear the confession of (a penitent)

  2. (tr) to impose a penance upon (a penitent) and grant him sacramental absolution

  1. (intr) to confess one's sins to a priest in order to obtain sacramental forgiveness

Origin of shrive

1
Old English scrīfan, from Latin scrībere to write

Derived forms of shrive

  • shriver, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012