confessor
confessor Lexical Profile
confessor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A priest who hears confessions and is authorized to grant absolution, or a person who listens to another's private secrets and provides spiritual or emotional counsel.
"The monarch relied heavily on his royal confessor for both spiritual guidance and discreet political advice."
A person who confesses to a crime, fault, or wrongdoing.
"Investigators carefully cross-examined the confessor to ensure that his admission of guilt matched the physical evidence."
A Christian who steadfastly avows their religious faith in the face of persecution or torture, but does not suffer martyrdom.
"The eleventh-century English king became universally known as Edward the Confessor for his reputation of deep Christian piety."
Word Nuance & Usage
In Christian usage, 'confessor' commonly refers to the priest who hears a confession rather than the penitent who makes it, though in secular contexts it can mean the person admitting to a fault or crime.
• Rhymes for confessor
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into Old English and reinforced via Anglo-Norman from Church Latin 'confessor', from 'confessus', the past participle of 'confiteri' ('to acknowledge'), combining 'com-' (intensive prefix) and 'fateri' ('to admit').