noun
shrift
Confession of sins to a priest for forgiveness.
The penitent kneels before the priest and asks for shrift.
Etymology
The Old English word already concerned confession and penance. It survives especially for the religious act of confessing sins to receive absolution.
More examples
- Before receiving Communion, he goes to the priest for shrift.
- The priest hears her shrift in the quiet chapel.
- She seeks shrift because her conscience troubles her.
Forms
shrift · shrifts
shrive verb — To hear confession and grant absolution.
Similar words
- confession
- Can name an admission of wrongdoing outside a religious setting.