shrive verb. [ʃrʌɪv] arch. Pa. t. shrove [ʃrǝʊv]; pa. pple shriven ['ʃrɪv(ǝ)n].
[Old English sćrīfan impose as a penance = Old Frisian skrīva write, impose penance, Old Saxon skrīƀan, Old High German scrīban write, prescribe (Dutch schrijven, German schreiben write, spell); from Germanic from Latin scribere write.]
1. verb intrans. Of a priest: act as a confessor; hear a confession or confessions. OE.

2. verb trans. Hear the confession of; prescribe penance for; give absolution to; absolve from or of a sin. Freq. in pass. OE.
■ J. Betjeman God shrive me from this morning lust For supple farm girls.
■ C. Thubron Zealots were encouraged to scrutinize, shrive and denounce each other.
b. transf. Relieve of a burden; remove (a burden). Chiefly poet. E17.
■ R. Bridges A..tomb: Such as to look on shrives The heart of half its care.

3. a. verb refl. & intrans. Confess one's sins, go to confession. ME.
b. verb trans. Orig., confess (one's sins). Later transf., (poet.), reveal, disclose. ME-E19.
■ Keats I cannot live Another night, and not my passion shrive.

■ shriven ppl adjective confessed, absolved M19.

■ shriver noun a confessor ME.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲