Shrovetide

noun

Shrove·​tide ˈshrōv-ˌtīd How to pronounce Shrovetide (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈsrōv-
: the period usually of three days immediately preceding Ash Wednesday

Word History

Etymology

Middle English schroftide, from schrof- (from shriven to shrive) + tide

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Shrovetide was in the 15th century

Rhymes for Shrovetide

See All Rhymes for Shrovetide

Browse Nearby Words

Shrove Sunday
Shrovetide
Shrove Tuesday
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrovetide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Shrovetide. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

Shrovetide

noun
Shrove·​tide ˈshrōv-ˌtīd How to pronounce Shrovetide (audio)
: the three days just before Ash Wednesday
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

'Gray' vs. 'Grey': What is the difference?

A Guide to Using Semicolons
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Birds Say the Darndest Things

Plant Names That Sound Like Insults

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All