Confescioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An acknowledgment of one's sins or wrongdoing, especially before a priest or God ; a formal declaration of the articles of a religious faith
2. The act of owning up to a sin or fault before a priest or higher power ; a written or spoken statement setting out what a church or group believes
3. Admitting to wrongdoing or sin in the presence of a religious authority ; a public profession of the tenets a faith holds to be true

Etymology: The Latin verb "confiteri" combined "com-," meaning "together" or "thoroughly," with "fateri," "to admit or acknowledge." That second verb is related to "fari," "to speak," which also produced "fatum," a thing that has been spoken, and English "fate" shares that root. The noun came into Middle English through Old French "confession," which was borrowed from Latin "confessio." Its earliest English uses centred on the church sacrament of confessing sins to a priest. The spelling "confescioun" reflects French pronunciation habits of the period, with the "sc" representing a "sh" sound.