Added 9 October 2026
confess
/kənˈfɛs/ verb
In Latin: fateor, confiteor Wiktionary
verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about confess at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure.
-
Admit (to a wrongdoing).
She confessed that she had taken the money
- Confess to God in the presence of a priest, as in the Catholic faith.
Origin
From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“to confess, admit”) from con- + fateor (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to confess, admit”) (from Old English andettan). Doublet of confiteor. Sense 6 is a semantic loan from Japanese 告(こく)白(はく) (kokuhaku).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)