v.
Pronunciation: ' shr ī v, esp Southern ' sr ī v
Function: verb
Inflected Form: shrived or shrove \ ' shr ō v, ' sr ō v \ ; shriv · en \ ' shri-v ə n, ' sri- \ or shrived ; shriv · ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English scr ī fan to shrive, prescribe (akin to Old High German scr ī ban to write), from Latin scribere to write ― more at SCRIBE
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1 : to administer the sacrament of reconciliation to
2 : to free from guilt
intransitive verb archaic : to confess one's sins especially to a priest