shrift
Americannoun
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the imposition of penance by a priest on a penitent after confession.
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absolution or remission of sins granted after confession and penance.
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confession to a priest.
noun
Etymology
Origin of shrift
before 900; Middle English; Old English scrift penance; cognate with German, Dutch schrift writing; see shrive, -th 1
Explanation
Use the noun shrift to describe the act of confessing, especially to a priest. Shrift is an old-fashioned way to talk about the traditional religious ritual of confession and absolution. Shrift comes from the equally antique word shrive, which is what a priest does when he hears a confession. The phrase "short shrift" began as a description of the brief chance a condemned prisoner had to confess his sins before being put to death, and evolved to mean "to dismiss with little consideration."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But over the past six weeks, with the help of strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders, performance coaching analyst Ron Shrift and director of sports nutrition Sarah Snyder, he started to eat smarter.
From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2019
And he added: “Did it occur to anyone to check whether Thrift was a real person before changing him to Shrift? Apparently not.”
From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2018
In the interview with Colbert, Franco also addressed a series of tweets by Breakfast Club star Ally Sheedy, who he had directed in 2014 in the off-Broadway play The Long Shrift.
From The Guardian • Jan. 10, 2018
For "The Long Shrift," Franco re-teamed with actor Scott Haze, who appeared in the Franco-directed movies "Child of God" and "As I Lay Dying."
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2014
“Frankfurters, sour pickles, strawberry jam,” shouted Officer Shrift from his chair.
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
