Dictionary.com

shrive

[ shrahyv ]
/ ʃraɪv /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: shrive / shriven on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), shrove or shrived, shriv·en or shrived, shriv·ing.
to impose penance on (a sinner).
to grant absolution to (a penitent).
to hear the confession of (a person).
verb (used without object), shrove or shrived, shriv·en or shrived, shriv·ing.Archaic.
to hear confessions.
to go to or make confession; confess one's sins, as to a priest.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of shrive

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shrive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shrive

shrive
/ (ʃraɪv) /

verb shrives, shriving, shrove, shrived, shriven (ˈʃrɪvən) or shrived mainly RC Church
to hear the confession of (a penitent)
(tr) to impose a penance upon (a penitent) and grant him sacramental absolution
(intr) to confess one's sins to a priest in order to obtain sacramental forgiveness

Derived forms of shrive

shriver, noun

Word Origin for shrive

Old English scrīfan, from Latin scrībere to write
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
FEEDBACK