Confessional Conˇfes"sionˇal adjective Pertaining to a confession of faith. Confessional equality ,
equality before the law of persons confessing different creeds.
Confessionalism Conˇfes"sionˇalˇism noun (Eccl.) An exaggerated estimate of the importance of giving full assent to any particular formula of the Christian faith. Shaff.
Confessionalist Conˇfes"sionˇalˇist noun A priest hearing, or sitting to hear, confession. [ R.]
Boucher
Confessionary Conˇfes"sionˇaˇry noun [ Late Latin
confessionarium .]
A confessional. [ Obsolete]
Johnson.
Confessionary Conˇfes"sionˇaˇry adjective Pertaining to auricular confession; as, a confessionary litany.
Confessionist Conˇfes"sionˇist noun [ Confer French
confessioniste .]
One professing a certain faith. Bp. Montagu.
Confessor Conˇfess"or noun [ Old French
confessor , French
confesseur , from Latin & Late Latin
confessor .]
1. One who confesses; one who acknowledges a fault, or the truth of a charge, at the risk of suffering; specifically, one who confesses himself a follower of Christ and endures persecution for his faith. He who dies for religion is a martyr; he who suffers for it is a confessor .
Latham.
Our religion which hath been sealed with the blood of so many martyrs and confessors .
Bacon.
2. A priest who hears the confessions of others and is authorized to grant them absolution.
Confessorship Conˇfess"orˇship noun The act or state of suffering persecution for religious faith. Our duty to contend even to confessorship .
J. H. Newman.
Confestly Conˇfest"ly adverb See Cofessedly .
Confetti Conˇfet"ti noun plural ; sing.
-fetto [ Italian Confer
Comfit .]
Bonbons; sweetmeats; confections; also, plaster or paper imitations of, or substitutes for, bonbons, often used by carnival revelers, at weddings, etc.
Confidant Con`fiˇdant" ; 277)
noun masc. ,
Con`fi*dante" (?; 277)
noun fem. [ French
confident ,
confidente , formerly also spelt
confidant ,
confidante . See
Confide , and confer
Confident .]
One to whom secrets, especially those relating to affairs of love, are confided or intrusted; a confidential or bosom friend. You love me for no other end
Than to become my confidant and friend;
As such I keep no secret from your sight.
Dryden.
Confide Conˇfide" intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Confided ;
present participle & verbal noun Confiding .] [ Latin
confidere ;
con- +
fidere to trust. See
Faith , and confer
Affiance .]
To put faith ( in ); to repose confidence; to trust; -- usually followed by in ; as, the prince confides in his ministers. By thy command I rise or fall,
In thy protection I confide .
Byron.
Judge before friendships, then confide till death.
Young.
Confide Conˇfide" transitive verb To intrust; to give in charge; to commit to one's keeping; -- followed by to . Congress may . . . confide to the Circuit jurisdiction of all offenses against the United States.
Story.
Confidence Con"fiˇdence noun [ Latin
confidentia firm trust in, self-confidence: confer French
confidence .]
1. The act of confiding, trusting, or putting faith in; trust; reliance; belief; -- formerly followed by of , now commonly by in . Society is built upon trust, and trust upon confidence of one another's integrity.
South.
A cheerful confidence in the mercy of God .
Macaulay.
2. That in which faith is put or reliance had. The Lord shall be thy confidence .
Prov. iii. 26.
3. The state of mind characterized by one's reliance on himself, or his circumstances; a feeling of self-sufficiency; such assurance as leads to a feeling of security; self-reliance; -- often with self prefixed. Your wisdom is consumed in confidence ;
Do not go forth to-day.
Shak.
But confidence then bore thee on secure
Either to meet no danger, or to find
Matter of glorious trial.
Milton.
4. Private conversation; ( plural ) secrets shared; as, there were confidences between them. Sir, I desire some confidence with you.
Shak.
Confidence game ,
any swindling operation in which advantage is taken of the confidence reposed by the victim in the swindler. --
Confidence man ,
a swindler. --
To take into one's confidence ,
to admit to a knowledge of one's feelings, purposes, or affairs. Syn. -- Trust; assurance; expectation; hope.
I am confident that very much be done.
Boyle.
2. Trustful; without fear or suspicion; frank; unreserved. Be confident to speak, Northumberland;
We three are but thyself.
Shak.
3. Having self-reliance; bold; undaunted. As confident as is the falcon's flight
Against a bird, do I with Mowbray fight.
Shak.
4. Having an excess of assurance; bold to a fault; dogmatical; impudent; presumptuous. The fool rageth and is confident .
Prov. xiv. 16.
5. Giving occasion for confidence. [ R.]
The cause was more confident than the event was prosperous.
Jer. Taylor.
Confident Con"fiˇdent noun See Confidant . South. Dryden.
Confidential Con`fiˇden"tial adjective [ Confer French
confidentiel .]
1. Enjoying, or treated with, confidence; trusted in; trustworthy; as, a confidential servant or clerk. 2. Communicated in confidence; secret. "
Confidential messages."
Burke. Confidential communication (Law) See Privileged communication , under Privileged . --
Confidential creditors ,
those whose claims are of such a character that they are entitled to be paid before other creditors. --
Confidential debts ,
debts incurred for borrowed money, and regarded as having a claim to be paid before other debts. McElrath.
Confidentially Con`fiˇden"tialˇly adverb In confidence; in reliance on secrecy.
Confidently Con"fiˇdentˇly adverb With confidence; with strong assurance; positively.
Confidentness Con"fiˇdentˇness noun The quality of being confident.
Confider Conˇfid"er noun One who confides.
Confiding Conˇfid"ing adjective That confides; trustful; unsuspicious. --
Con*fid"ing*ly ,
adverb --
Con*fid"ing*ness ,
noun
Configurate Conˇfig"urˇate intransitive verb [ Latin
configuratus , past participle of
configurare to form or after;
con- +
figurare to form,
figura form. See
Figure .]
To take form or position, as the parts of a complex structure; to agree with a pattern. Known by the name of uniformity;
Where pyramids to pyramids relate
And the whole fabric doth configurate .
Jordan.
Configuration Conˇfig`uˇra"tion noun [ Latin
configuratio .]
1. Form, as depending on the relative disposition of the parts of a thing; shape; figure. It is the variety of configurations [ of the mouth] . . . which gives birth and origin to the several vowels.
Harris.
2. (Astrol.) Relative position or aspect of the planets; the face of the horoscope, according to the relative positions of the planets at any time. They [ astrologers] undertook . . . to determine the course of a man's character and life from the configuration of the stars at the moment of his birth.
Whewell.
3. (Chemistry) the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule as determined by the covalent bonds between them; the three-dimensional structure that cannot be changed without breaking the covalent bonds between atoms of a molecule. It is distinguished from conformation , which is the exact relative location in space of all of the atoms of a molecule, which may vary at different times or in different environments. [ PJC]
4. (Computers) a specification of the parts of a computer system, consisting of the essential components of the computer plus the complete set of all internal and external devices directly attached to it; as, by the year 2000, a microcomputer configuration without a CD-ROM or DVD drive will be unsalable. [ PJC]
Configure Conˇfig"ure transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Configured ;
present participle & verbal noun Configuring .] [ Latin
configurare : confer French
configurer . See
Configurate .]
To arrange or dispose in a certain form, figure, or shape. Bentley.
Confinable Conˇfin"aˇble adjective Capable of being confined, restricted, or limited. Not confinable to any limits.
Bp. Hall.
Confine Conˇfine" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Confined ;
present participle & verbal noun Confining .] [ French
confiner to border upon, Late Latin
confinare to set bounds to;
con- +
finis boundary, end. See
Final ,
Finish .]
To restrain within limits; to restrict; to limit; to bound; to shut up; to inclose; to keep close. Now let not nature's hand
Keep the wild flood confined ! let order die!
Shak.
He is to confine himself to the compass of numbers and the slavery of rhyme.
Dryden.
To be confined ,
to be in childbed. Syn. -- To bound; limit; restrain; imprison; immure; inclose; circumscribe; restrict.
Confine Con"fine intransitive verb To have a common boundary; to border; to lie contiguous; to touch; -- followed by on or with . [ Obsolete]
Where your gloomy bounds
Confine with heaven.
Milton.
Bewixt heaven and earth and skies there stands a place.
Confining on all three.
Dryden.
Confine Con"fine noun 1. Common boundary; border; limit; -- used chiefly in the plural. Events that came to pass within the confines of Judea.
Locke.
And now in little space
The confines met of empyrean heaven,
And of this world.
Milton.
On the confines of the city and the Temple.
Macaulay.
2. Apartment; place of restraint; prison. [ Obsolete]
Confines , wards, and dungeons.
Shak.
The extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine .
Shak.
Confineless Con"fine`less adjective Without limitation or end; boundless. Shak.
Confinement Conˇfine"ment noun 1. Restraint within limits; imprisonment; any restraint of liberty; seclusion. The mind hates restraint, and is apt to fancy itself under confinement when the sight is pent up.
Addison.
2. Restraint within doors by sickness, esp. that caused by childbirth; lying-in.
Confiner Conˇfin"er noun One who, or that which, limits or restrains.
Confiner Con"fi`ner noun One who lives on confines, or near the border of a country; a borderer; a near neighbor. [ Obsolete]
Bacon. Happy confiners you of other lands,
That shift your soil, and oft 'scape tyrants' hands.
Daniel.
Confinity Conˇfin"iˇty noun [ Confer French
confinité .]
Community of limits; contiguity. [ R.]
Bailey.
Confirm Conˇfirm" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Confrmed ;
present participle & verbal noun Confirming .] [ Middle English
confermen ,
confirmen , Old French
confermer , French
confirmer , from Latin
confirmare ;
con- +
firmare to make firm, from
firmus firm. See
Firm .]
1. To make firm or firmer; to add strength to; to establish; as, health is confirmed by exercise. Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs.
Shak.
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law.
Ps. cv. 10.
2. To strengthen in judgment or purpose. Confirmed , then, I resolve
Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe.
Milton.
3. To give new assurance of the truth of; to render certain; to verify; to corroborate; as, to confirm a rumor. Your eyes shall witness and confirm my tale.
Pope.
These likelihoods confirm her flight.
Shak.
4. To render valid by formal assent; to complete by a necessary sanction; to ratify; as, to confirm the appoinment of an official; the Senate confirms a treaty. That treaty so prejudicial ought to have been remitted rather than confimed .
Swift.
5. (Eccl.) To administer the rite of confirmation to. See Confirmation , 3. Those which are thus confirmed are thereby supposed to be fit for admission to the sacrament.
Hammond.
Syn. -- To strengthen; corroborate; substantiate; establish; fix; ratify; settle; verify; assure.
Confirmable Conˇfirm"aˇble adjective That may be confirmed.
Confirmance Conˇfirm"ance noun Confirmation. [ Obsolete]
Confirmation Con`firˇma"tion noun [ French
confirmation , Latin
confirmatio .]
1. The act of confirming or strengthening; the act of establishing, ratifying, or sanctioning; as, the confirmation of an appointment. Their blood is shed
In confirmation of the noblest claim.
Cowper.
2. That which confirms; that which gives new strength or assurance; as to a statement or belief; additional evidence; proof; convincing testimony. Trifles light as air
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ.
Shak.
3. (Eccl.) A rite supplemental to baptism, by which a person is admitted, through the laying on of the hands of a bishop, to the full privileges of the church, as in the Roman Catholic, the Episcopal Church, etc. This ordinance is called confirmation , because they who duly receive it are confirmed or strengthened for the fulfillment of their Christian duties, by the grace therein bestowed upon them.
Hook.
4. (Law) A conveyance by which a voidable estate is made sure and not voidable, or by which a particular estate is increased; a contract, express or implied, by which a person makes that firm and binding which was before voidable.
Confirmative Conˇfirm"aˇtive adjective [ Latin
confirmativus : confer French
confirmatif .]
Tending to confirm or establish. Sherwood. --
Con*firm"a*tive*ly ,
adverb
Confirmator Con"firˇma`tor noun [ Latin ]
One who, or that which, confirms; a confirmer. Sir T. Browne.
Confirmatory Conˇfirm"aˇtoˇry adjective . Serving to confirm; corroborative. A fact confirmatory of the conclusion.
I. Taylor.
2. Pertaining to the rite of confirmation. Compton.
Confirmedly Conˇfirm"edˇly adverb With confirmation.
Confirmedness Conˇfirm"edˇness noun A fixed state.
Confirmee Con`firˇmee" noun [ French
confirmé , past participle of
confirmer .]
(Law) One to whom anything is confirmed.
Confirmer Conˇfirm"er noun One who, or that which, confirms, establishes, or ratifies; one who corroborates. Shak.
Confirmingly Conˇfirm"ingˇly adverb In a confirming manner.
Confiscable Conˇfis"caˇble adjective [ Confer French
confiscable .]
Capable of being confiscated; liable to forfeiture.
Confiscate Con"fisˇcate adjective [ Latin
confiscatus , past participle of
confiscare to confiscate, prop., to lay up in a chest;
con- +
fiscus basket, purse, treasury. See
Fiscal .]
Seized and appropriated by the government to the public use; forfeited. Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate .
Shak.
Confiscate Con"fisˇcate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Confiscated ;
present participle & verbal noun Confiscating .]
To seize as forfeited to the public treasury; to appropriate to the public use. It was judged that he should be banished and his whole estate confiscated and seized.
Bacon.
Confiscation Con`fisˇca"tion noun [ Latin
confiscatio .]
The act or process of taking property or condemning it to be taken, as forfeited to the public use. The confiscations following a subdued rebellion.
Hallam.
Confiscator Con"fisˇca`tor noun [ Latin , a treasurer.]
One who confiscates. Burke.
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