shrive
English
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shrive¹
- /ˈʃɹaɪv/
Rhymes with -aɪv
Where it comes from
From Middle English schryven, from Old English sċrīfan (“1. to decree, pass judgement, prescribe, 3. (of a priest) to prescribe penance or absolution”), from Proto-West Germanic *skrīban, from late Proto-Germanic *skrībaną, a borrowing from Latin scrībō (“write”).
Compare West Frisian skriuwe (“to write”), Low German schrieven (“to write”), Dutch schrijven (“to write”), German schreiben (“to write”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk skrive (“to write”), Swedish skriva (“to write”), Icelandic skrifa (“to write”). More at scribe and scribble.
verb shrives · shriving · shrove · shrived · shriven
- To hear or receive a confession (of sins etc.). If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.
- To free from guilt, to absolve. I will not madly deem that power Of Earth may shrive me of the sin Unearthly pride hath revell’d in— […]
- To prescribe penance or absolution.
- To confess, and receive absolution. c. 1798-1845, unknown author, The Croppy Boy 'Twas a good thought, boy, to come here and shrive.
Shrive²
proper noun
- A surname.
Translations
Every language
verb hear or receive a confession
| Deutsch | die Beichte abnehmen |
|---|
verb prescribe penance or absolution
| Deutsch | die Vergebung der Sünden gewähren, die Absolution erteilen, eine Buße auferlegen |
|---|
Talk about this word "shrive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shrive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shrive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shrive "shrive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shrive.Cite this
@misc{shrive_2026,
title = {shrive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shrive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
