confiteor

English

Etymology

From Latin, "I confess". See confess.

Noun

confiteor (plural confiteors)

1. A form of Roman Catholic prayer in which public confession of sins is made.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “confiteor” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

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Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /konˈfi.te.or/, [kõːˈfɪt̪eɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /konˈfi.te.or/, [koɱˈfiːt̪eor]

Verb

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

1. I confess, admit

   Confiteor Deo omnipotenti...

   I confess to almighty God...

2. I acknowledge, agree
3. (figuratively) I reveal, show.
4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) I 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

Conjugation of cōnfiteor (second conjugation, deponent)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	cōnfiteor	cōnfitēris, cōnfitēre	cōnfitētur	cōnfitēmur	cōnfitēminī	cōnfitentur
	imperfect	cōnfitēbar	cōnfitēbāris, cōnfitēbāre	cōnfitēbātur	cōnfitēbāmur	cōnfitēbāminī	cōnfitēbantur
	future	cōnfitēbor	cōnfitēberis, cōnfitēbere	cōnfitēbitur	cōnfitēbimur	cōnfitēbiminī	cōnfitēbuntur
	perfect	cōnfessus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	cōnfessus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	cōnfessus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	cōnfitear	cōnfiteāris, cōnfiteāre	cōnfiteātur	cōnfiteāmur	cōnfiteāminī	cōnfiteantur
	imperfect	cōnfitērer	cōnfitērēris, cōnfitērēre	cōnfitērētur	cōnfitērēmur	cōnfitērēminī	cōnfitērentur
	perfect	cōnfessus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	cōnfessus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	cōnfitēre	—	—	cōnfitēminī	—
	future	—	cōnfitētor	cōnfitētor	—	—	cōnfitentor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		cōnfitērī, cōnfitērier1	cōnfessum esse	cōnfessūrum esse	—	—	—
participles		cōnfitēns	cōnfessus	cōnfessūrus	—	—	cōnfitendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		cōnfitendī	cōnfitendō	cōnfitendum	cōnfitendō	cōnfessum	cōnfessū

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

Derived terms

• cōnfessiō
• cōnfessor
• cōnfessus

Related terms

• diffiteor
• fateor
• prōfiteor

Descendants

• English: confess, confiteor
• French: confesser
• Italian: confessare
• Portuguese: confessar
• Spanish: confesar, confíteor

References

• “confiteor”, in Charlton T[homas] Lewis; Charles [Lancaster] Short (1879) […] A New Latin Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.: American Book Company; 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