kənˈfeshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English confessioun, from Middle French confession, from Latin confession-, confessio, from confessus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the act of confessing : admission : a statement of guilt or obligation in a matter pertaining to oneself ; also : the contents of such a statement
2. confessions plural : a usually written statement in which hidden or intimate matters are disclosed
the Confessions of St. Augustine
broadly : intimately autobiographical writing or fiction intended to give the illusion of such writing
3. : acknowledgment of sins or sinfulness ; specifically : the act of disclosing sins or faults to a priest to obtain sacramental absolution or to a minister to obtain pastoral counseling
4.
a. : acknowledgment of belief or profession of faith ; specifically : a personal declaration of religious faith
b. : a formal statement of doctrinal belief (as a creed or a catechism) ordinarily intended for public avowal by an individual, a group, a congregation, a synod, or a church
5. : an acknowledgment of guilt by a party accused of an offense (1) made before a judge or court in due course of legal proceedings or (2) made before an officer or other person, no confession being admissible as evidence that is not entirely voluntary and made without being induced by threats, promises, or hope of escape or favor extended by a person in authority — called also (1) judicial confession, (2) extrajudicial confession ; compare admission
6. : a form (as for use in public worship) for the general acknowledgment of sinfulness
a general confession
7. : a church or body of Christians having a particular confession of faith : communion
8.
a.
(1)
[Late Latin confession-, confessio, from Latin]
: the tomb of a martyr
(2) : an altar built over the tomb
(3) : the crypt or shrine or the part of the altar or occasionally a large subterranean chapel in which the relics are placed — called also confessio
b. : the high altar in a basilica that stands directly over the altar on a martyr's tomb
c. : the entire building enclosing these two altars