confess etymology

Etymology:

• Middle English: confessen, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus, past participle of confiteri "to acknowledge, declare, confess," from com- "with, together" + fateri "to speak, confess"
• Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bha- "to speak"

Meaning:

• To acknowledge or admit something, especially a fault or crime
• To express one's beliefs or opinions, especially religious beliefs
• To acknowledge or admit a sin or fault to a priest or minister

Origin:

The word "confess" entered Middle English in the 13th century from Old French, which in turn derived it from Latin. The Latin verb "confiteri" originally meant "to speak" or "confess" in a general sense, but it later acquired a specifically religious meaning, referring to the act of acknowledging or admitting one's sins to a priest or minister.

The prefix "com-" (or "con-") means "with" or "together," indicating that confession implies a two-way process involving both the person confessing and the person receiving the confession. The root "fateri" is related to the Latin word "fari," which means "to speak."

confess relate terms

• confessed

  Etymology From Middle English confessed from Old French confesser from Latin confessu

• confess

  Etymology Middle English confessen from Old French confesser from Latin confessus p

• confessor

  Etymology Latin confessōr from confessus confessed past participle of confiteri

• confess

  Etymology Middle English confessen from Old French confesser from Latin confessus p

• confession

  Etymology The word confession comes from the Latin word confessio which is derived f

• concede

  Etymology Old French conceder Latin concedere from con with together cedere

• profess

  Etymology The word professor originates from the Latin word professus which means

• shrive

  Etymology The word shrive comes from an Old English word scrīfan which means to c

• craven

  Origin and Etymology The word craven originates from the Middle English word cravant

• floricide

  Etymology Floricide is a portmanteau of the Latin words flos flower and caedere t

• shrift

  Etymology The word shrift derives from the Old English word scrift which means con

• admit

  Etymology The word admit originates from the Latin verb admittere which means to se

• fink

  Etymology The word fink has two distinct origins German From the Middle High Germ

• acknowledge

  Etymology Acknowledge comes from the Middle English word acnowlechen which itself der