I. ˈshrift, esp South ˈsri-, dial ˈswi- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English shrift, shrifte, from Old English scrift, from scrīfan to shrive — more at shrive
1. archaic
a. : the act of shriving : confession of one's sins especially to a priest in the sacrament of penance
b. : absolution 3a
2. : acknowledgment or disclosure (as of guilt, wrongdoing, something secret) to someone
those … who have made shrift of love — Sebastian Evans
3. obsolete : confessional
his bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift — Shakespeare
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
archaic : shrive