confession

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The open admittance of having done something (especially something bad).

   Without the real murderer's confession, an innocent person could be jailed.

2. 2
   noun

   A formal document providing such an admission.

   He forced me to sign a confession!

3. 3
   noun

   The disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is now also termed the sacrament of reconciliation.

   I went to confession and now I feel much better about what I had done.

4. 4
   noun

   Acknowledgment of belief; profession of one's faith.

   With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

5. 5
   noun

   (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing his sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution

6. 6
   noun

   a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party

7. 7
   noun

   the document that spells out the belief system of a given church (especially the Reformation churches of the 16th century)

8. 8
   noun

   a public declaration of your faith

Etymology

From Middle English confessioun, from Old French confession, from Latin cōnfessiō, cōnfessiōnem (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”). Displaced native Old English andetnes. Doublet of confessio. Morphologically confess + -ion. Sense 6 is a calque of 告白 (kokuhaku).