shrift
English
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shrift
- /ʃɹɪft/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪft
Where it comes from
From Middle English shrift (“confession to a priest; act or instance of this; sacrament of penance; penance assigned by a priest; penitence, repentance; punishment for sin”) [and other forms], from Old English sċrift (“penance, shrift; something prescribed as punishment, penalty; one who passes sentence, a judge”), from sċrīfan (“of a priest: to prescribe absolution or penance; to pass judgment, ordain, prescribe; to appoint, decree”) (whence shrive), from Proto-Germanic *skrībaną (“to write”), from Latin scrībō (“to write”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreybʰ- (“to scratch, tear”). Equivalent to shrive + -t.
noun shrifts
- The act of going to or hearing a religious confession. For seldom did she go to chapel-shrift, / And seldom felt she any hunger-pain; [...]
- Confession to a priest.
- Forgiveness given by a priest after confession; remission. [Friar:] Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift. / Riddling confession finds but riddling shrift.
Translations
Every language
noun act of going to or hearing a religious confession
| Deutsch | Beichte, Beichtablegung, Beichtgang |
|---|---|
| Русский | испове́дание ispovédanije |
noun forgiveness given by a priest after confession
| Deutsch | Sündenerlass, Sündenvergebung, Absolution |
|---|---|
| Русский | отпуще́ние грехо́в otpuščénije grexóv |
Talk about this word "shrift." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shrift. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shrift. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shrift "shrift." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shrift.Cite this
@misc{shrift_2026,
title = {shrift},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shrift},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
