Meaning & use
shrift
Last updated
an act of confession to a priest, or the absolution given after such a confession; now surviving mainly in the phrase 'short shrift'.
See it in a sentence
In medieval times, a condemned man was granted shrift before his execution.
Latecomers to the meeting were given short shrift by the impatient manager.
A note on using this word
Almost entirely fossilized today in the idiom 'short shrift', meaning curt or dismissive treatment, which literally referred to too little time for confession before death.
Words with a similar meaning
confessionabsolution
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