to shrove
- verb
- /ʃrəʊv/
- Archaic
- The priest would shrove the villagers every Sunday, granting them absolution for their sins.
So today I shrive yesterday I Shrove, I have shriven.
- So today I shrive yesterday I Shrove, I have shriven.
Examples
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In ancient times, many believed that if a person was shrove, they would be forgiven before spring.
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During the winter festival, the old man shrove the townsfolk, reminding them of their moral duties.
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So today I shrive yesterday I Shrove, I have shriven.
Synonyms
To hear a person's confession and forgive their sins
Compounds
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shrove is the old past form of shrive, which comes from an old English verb meaning 'to hear a confession and forgive'. So, to be shrove meant you had confessed and been forgiven, and that is why we still see the word in 'Shrove Tuesday' before Lent.