confection

C2 Topic:Food & Drink

US /kənˈfɛkʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #61868

Meanings

1

noun
A sweet food such as a cake, candy, or pastry, often elaborately decorated.

The table was covered with all sorts of tempting confections.
2

noun
Something elaborate, delicate, or showy, often more decorative than useful.

Her wedding dress was a confection of silk and lace.
3

noun
Something invented or made up, often to mislead.

The lawyer argued that the charges were a confection of the local police.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sweet food such as a... sweet

3 noun · something invented or made... concoction

Word family

Forms confections

Related forms confect confectionary

Etymology

From Middle English confescioun, borrowed from Old French confeccion (French confection), borrowed from Latin cōnfectiōnem, from confectus, past participle of conficere (“prepare”), from com- (“with”) + facere (“to make, do”). Originally "the making by means of ingredients"; sense of "candy or light pastry" predominant since 1500s.

*dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European confescioun Middle English confeccion Old French confectio Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Food & Drink Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# confection

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kənˈfɛkʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 61868

## Meanings
1. A sweet food such as a cake, candy, or pastry, often elaborately decorated.
2. Something elaborate, delicate, or showy, often more decorative than useful.
3. Something invented or made up, often to mislead.

## Examples
- The table was covered with all sorts of tempting confections.
- Her wedding dress was a confection of silk and lace.
- The lawyer argued that the charges were a confection of the local police.

## Related Forms
- confect
- confectionary

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dʰeh₁-
- Root: confescioun
- Root: confeccion
- Root: confectio

## Etymology
From Middle English confescioun, borrowed from Old French confeccion (French confection), borrowed from Latin cōnfectiōnem, from confectus, past participle of conficere (“prepare”), from com- (“with”) + facere (“to make, do”). Originally "the making by means of ingredients"; sense of "candy or light pastry" predominant since 1500s.

## AI Etymology
Confection is from Middle English confescioun, borrowed from Old French confeccion (French confection), borrowed from Latin cōnfectiōnem, from confectus, past participle of conficere (“prepare”), from com- (“with”) + facere (“to make, do”). Originally "the making by means of ingredients"; sense of "candy or light pastry" predominant since 1500s. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *dʰeh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), confescioun (Middle English), confeccion (Old French), and confectio (Latin). Current senses include a sweet food such as a cake, candy, or pastry, often elaborately decorated, something elaborate, delicate, or showy, often more decorative than useful, and something invented or made up, often to mislead. The wider family includes related words such as confect and confectionary.

## Topics
- Food & Drink
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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