Shriving

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The procedure of obtaining forgiveness through confession involves spiritual practices aimed at absolution for sins and restoration of purity through repentance
2. The act of confessing sins to obtain pardon and spiritual cleansing
3. A religious practice where one admits wrongdoings to receive absolution

Etymology: "Shriving" is the present participle or gerund of "shrive," a verb meaning to hear a confession and grant absolution. The root goes back to Latin "scribere," to write, and the Old English "scrifan," which meant to prescribe or impose a penance, a sense that later narrowed to the priestly act of hearing confession. The Old English verb was borrowed from Latin "scrībere" through the church's administrative vocabulary, where writing and prescribing were closely linked. The "shrive" in the Middle English form "schryvynge" carries the sense of the penitent's confession being formally recorded and judged, so the verb came to describe the whole exchange between sinner and priest. The "-ing" ending simply turns the verb into a noun or participle, so "shriving" names the act itself: the confessing, the penance, and the absolution taken together.

Synonyms: confession, absolution, forgiveness, pardon, repentance