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Confession
//kənˈfɛʃən// noun
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The open admittance of having done something (especially something bad). countable, uncountable
"Without the real murderer's confession, an innocent person could be jailed."
- 2 (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing their sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution wordnet
- 3 A formal document providing such an admission. countable, uncountable
"He forced me to sign a confession!"
- 4 a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party wordnet
- 5 The disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is now also termed the sacrament of reconciliation. countable, uncountable
"I went to confession and now I feel much better about what I had done."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 the document that spells out the belief system of a given church (especially the Reformation churches of the 16th century) wordnet
- 7 Acknowledgment of belief; profession of one's faith. countable, uncountable
"With the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
- 8 a public declaration of your faith wordnet
- 9 A formula in which the articles of faith are comprised; a creed to be assented to or signed, as a preliminary to admission to membership of a church; a confession of faith. countable, uncountable
- 10 an admission of misdeeds or faults wordnet
- 11 The act of professing one's love. Japanese, countable, uncountable
Etymology
From Middle English confessioun, from Old French confession, from Latin cōnfessiō, cōnfessiōnem (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”). Displaced native Old English andetnes. Doublet of confessio. Morphologically confess + -ion. Sense 6 is a calque of 告白 (kokuhaku).
See also for "confession"
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