confiteor

See also: Confiteor

English

Etymology

From Latin cōnfiteor (I confess), the first word of the prayer and used as its title in Ecclesiastical Latin. Doublet of confess.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kən-fĭʹ-tē-ôr or kŏn-, -fē-, IPA(key): /kənˈfɪtiɔː/, /kɒn-/, /-fiː-/
  • Hyphenation: con‧fi‧te‧or, con‧fi‧teor

Noun

confiteor (plural confiteors)

  1. (Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) A prayer, typically beginning “I confess to Almighty God…” in English, in which public confession of sins is made.
    • 1967, The Saturday Evening Post[1], volume 240, page 80:
      “Pugh!” she said. “You are disgusting! Go into the chapel now and say a confiteor each for your sin.”

Latin

Etymology

From con- +‎ fateor (acknowledge, own (up to)).

Pronunciation

Verb

cōnfiteor (present infinitive cōnfitērī or cōnfitērier, perfect active cōnfessus sum); second conjugation, deponent

  1. to confess, admit
    Synonym: profiteor
    Confiteor Deo omnipotenti...
    I confess to almighty God...
  2. to acknowledge, agree
  3. (figuratively) to reveal, show
  4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) to praise, give thanks
    Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius.
    Give praise to Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Conjugation

1The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  • confiteor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • confiteor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • confiteor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.