shrift en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ʃɹɪft/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
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.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) 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; [...]
1820, John Keats, “Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil. A Story from Boccaccio.”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, stanza LIX, page 78:
- (countable, uncountable) Confession to a priest.
-
(countable, obsolete, uncountable) Forgiveness given by a priest after confession; remission.
[Friar:] Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift. / Riddling confession finds but riddling shrift.
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| shrifts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
shrift father · shriftfather · earshrift · short shrift
Relateds
Translations (27)
ka აღსარება (confession to a priest) · cs odpuštění (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · cs zpověď (confession to a priest) · bg и́зповед (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · cs odpuštění (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · bg опроще́ние (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · de Sündenvergebung (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · de Absolution (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · de Beichtablegung (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · sv skriftermål (confession to a priest) · de Sündenerlass (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · ru и́споведь (confession to a priest) · sv syndaförlåtelse (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · sv bikt (confession to a priest) · de Beichte (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · fi ripittäytyminen (confession to a priest) · ru испове́дание (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · sv skriftermål (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · ka შენდობა (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · sv bikt (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · ka მიტევება (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · de Beichte (confession to a priest) · ru отпуще́ние грехо́в (forgiveness given by a priest after confession) · fi rippi (confession to a priest) · cs zpověď (act of going to or hearing a religious confession) · bg и́зповед (confession to a priest) · de Beichtgang (act of going to or hearing a religious confession)