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  1. shrive love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To hear the confession of and give absolution to (a penitent).
  2. v. To obtain absolution for (oneself) by confessing and doing penance.
  3. v. Archaic To make or go to confession.
  4. v. Archaic To hear confessions.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To prescribe penance to for sin; impose penance on.
  2. To receive a confession from (a penitent) and grant absolution; hence, to receive an acknowledgment (of a fault) from, and pardon.
  3. To acknowledge a fault; confess to a priest and receive absolution: used reflexively.
  4. To receive a confession, impose the necessary penance, and grant absolution.
  5. To make confession.
  6. To prune (trees).

Wiktionary

  1. v. transitive and intransitive To hear or receive a confession (of sins etc.)
  2. v. transitive To prescribe penance or absolution.
  3. v. intransitive or reflexive To confess, and receive absolution.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To hear or receive the confession of; to administer confession and absolution to; -- said of a priest as the agent.
  2. v. To confess, and receive absolution; -- used reflexively.
  3. v. To receive confessions, as a priest; to administer confession and absolution.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. grant remission of a sin to

Etymologies

  1. Old English scrīfan, from West Germanic *skrībanan, from Latin scrībō ("write"). More at scribe. (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English schriven, from Old English scrīfan, from Latin scrībere, to write. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “COOPER: Well, by the Christian calendar, tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, the world shrove from the old English word -- verb to -- to shrive, meaning to absolve.”

    CNN Transcript Feb 27, 2006

  • “These refer to the old religious custom of confession; to "shrive" signifies to forgive, to free from sin, as a priest is supposed to do, and "assoiled" means "purified.”

    Books and Habits from the Lectures of Lafcadio Hearn

  • “And a search of t’internet tells me that shrove is derived from shrive, meaning to confess your sins to cleanse yourself before lent.”

    une fée

  • “Send no shaven monks to shrive me, close the doors against their cries;”

    The Voyage of Magellan

  • “Edwards has on numerous occasions reitterated that this proposal is not a pretense at a potential Presidential fiat to shrive healthcare from our Congressional representatives BUT merely the first salvo in his campaign to initiate action towards bringing healthcare to all as right and not a moneyed privilege.”

    Edwards Mailer In Iowa Reiterates His Threat To Take Away Congress' Health Care

  • “But when his brother reminded him that this was the morning of a high holiday, and that, setting aside all other business or pleasure, he ought to go to the Monastery and shrive himself before Father Eustace, who would that day occupy the confessional, pride stepped in and confirmed his wavering resolution.”

    The Monastery

  • ““And I shrive you, sir, and bid good fortune go with you,” answered the Doctor.”

    The History of Pendennis

  • “Confessing to the poor old woman, who cannot shrive them!”

    Clarissa Harlowe

  • ““The monk hath some fair penitent to shrive to-night, that he is in such a hurry to depart,” said De Bracy.”

    Ivanhoe

  • “And therefore, when they will shrive them, they take fire and set it beside them, and cast therein powder of frankincense; and in the smoke thereof they shrive them to God, and cry him mercy.”

    The Travels of Sir John Mandeville

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hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. forgive

same context (12)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. Abbie
  2. forthright
  1. oune
  2. augustness
  1. ampulla
  2. ardency
  1. embrocation
  2. empressement
  1. viaticum
  2. Eucharist
  1. chrism
  2. onlie

reverse dictionary (4)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. shrieve
  1. shrove
  1. shriven
  1. shrift

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  1. cccvcv

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  • dono Example from Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

    "And what of those who lay unshriven and unmourned in mass graves, would they ever be released from purgatory?"

    "It was early December, the feast of Saint Barbara, to be exact, the saint who protects us from sudden death, lest we die unshriven with all our sins upon us." Sep 23, 2009

  • misterpolly Found also as "shrieve" in Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
    `O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy man !'
    The Hermit crossed his brow.
    `Say quick,' quoth he, `I bid thee say--
    What manner of man art thou ?'

    Shrove Tuesday - the day before Ash Wednesday (before the Lenten period) Dec 17, 2007

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‘shrive’ has been looked up 3144 times, loved by 3 people, added to 30 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 12.