confession

Forms

confession f (plural confessions)^[1] Anglo-Norman confessiun, cunfession and confessioun.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin cōnfessiō (“confession of sins, profession of faith”),^[3][4][5] which in Classical Latin meant “admission, avowal”;^[3][6] the Latin noun comes from cōnfiteor (“to confess, acknowledge”).^[6][7] The sense “profession of faith” was taken again from Latin by the Protestants of the Reformation.^[3][4]

Cognate with Old Occitan confessio and Italian confessione.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 980 in the Passion du Christ, meaning the admission of one's sins to a priest.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

From the confession of sins to God or a priest, the word passed to the admission of any fault: Brunetto Latini's Tresor (about 1265) speaks of la confiession dou malfaitour “the criminal's confession”.^[3][4] In 1537 Farel's Confession de foy for Geneva introduced the Protestant sense “declaration of faith”,^[3][4] from which came the sense “membership of a church or religion”.^[8] As a book title, in the singular or plural, it recalls Augustine's Confessions.^[4]

By metonymy it also names the place where the relics of a saint or the tomb of a martyr lie, as the Confession of Saint Peter in Rome.^[3][9] Derivatives include confessionnal “confessional box” (1633) and confessionnel “denominational” (1863).^[4] Anglo-Norman had the word from the early 12th century.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Confession appears in the Passion du Christ.^[3]
• Early 12th century – The word is recorded in Anglo-Norman.^[2]
• c. 1265 – Brunetto Latini uses it for the admission of a crime.^[3]
• 1537 – Farel's Confession de foy gives the sense “declaration of faith”.^[3][4]
• 1633 – The derivative confessionnal is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Christianity) The declaration of one's sins to a priest in the sacrament of penance.^[8][1][7]
2. An admission of a blameworthy act; an avowal: la confession du coupable.^[8][1]
3. Confession de foi: a declaration of one's religious belief, or a written statement of a church's doctrine; a creed.^[3][8][1]
4. Membership of a religion; a religious denomination: des fidèles de toutes les confessions.^[8][9]
5. The place where the relics of a saint or the tomb of a martyr are kept.^[3][9]

Related words

• confesser
• confesse
• confesseur
• Latin confessio

Usage notes

On lui donnerait le bon Dieu sans confession is said of a person who looks perfectly virtuous, often deceptively.^[7][8][1] Sous le sceau de la confession means under the strictest secrecy, like that binding a priest.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)