Forms: 1–2, 5–9 confessor, 3–4 -ur, 4–7 -our, 5–6 -oure, 6 -ore. [a. L. confessor, and its F. repr. confessor, -ur, AF. -our (mod.F. -eur), agent-n. f. L. confitērī to CONFESS. (In sense 2, OF. had also confes:—L. confessus one who has confessed.) The historical pronunciation, from AF. and ME. confessou·r, is co·nfessor, which is found in all the poets, and is recognized by the dictionaries generally, down to Smart, 1836–49, who has co·nfessor in senses 2 and 3, confe·sser in sense 1 b; for these, Craig, 1847, has co·nfessor and confe·ssor; but confe·ssor is now generally said for both.]
1. gen. One who makes confession or public acknowledgement or avowal of anything.
a. of religious belief, of Christ, etc.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 20867 (Cott.). Petre was … of godd sun first confessur.
c. 1540. Pilgr. T., 372. Or Iesu Christ many a confessore.
1642. Milton, Apol. Smect. (1851), 291. They scourg’d the confessors of the Gospell.
1659. Gentl. Calling (1696), 89. I can scarce think the Devil has any such stout Confessors, but will then betray his cause.
1711. Shaftesb., Charac., II. i. (1737), III. 33. Its greatest Confessors and Assertors.
1721. Strype, Eccl. Mem., II. xxviii. 235. A good man, and ancient professor and confessor of religion.
1866. Neale, Seq. & Hymns. And the Saints, through toil and shame Brave Confessors of Thy Name.
b. of a crime, sin, or offense charged. (In this sense written by Smart and others CONFESSER.)
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., Wks. 1883–4, V. 35. They vowed either to make him a confessor or a martir in a trice.
1693. C. Mather, Wond. Invis. World, 15. A thousand preternatural Things … wherein the Confessors do acknowledge their Concernment.
1737. Ozell, Rabelais, Author’s Prol. I. cxxxi., note. I have translated Confesseur, Confessarius, for so our English Roman Catholics call their Father Confessor … A Confessor seems to mean the Person confessing not the Person confess’d to.
1755. Johnson, Confessor … he who confesses his crimes.
Dict. 1791. Walker, Pron. Dict., Confessor … this word can now have the accent on the second syllable, only when it means One who confesses his crimes; a sense in which it is scarcely ever used.
1847. Craig, Conféssor, one who confesses his crimes.
2. techn. One who avows his religion in the face of danger, and adheres to it under persecution and torture, but does not suffer martyrdom; spec. one who has been recognized by the church in this character. (The earliest sense in English.)
[c. 1000. Ælfric, Past. Ep., in Thorpe, Laws, II. 370. Þa mæran andetteras þe we hatað confessores.]
a. 1175. Cott. Hom., 239. Mid martiren, mid hali confessoren, mid halie meiden.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 185. Apostles and martirs and confessors.
a. 1240. Sawles Warde, in Cott. Hom., 261. Þe cunfessurs hird þe liueden igod lif, ant haliche deiden.
c. 1305. Edmond Conf., in E. E. P. (1862), 71. Seint Edmund þe confessour þat liþ at Ponteneye.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), I. 379. Alle the seyntes of that cuntre [Ireland] be confessores, and noo martir.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 181 b. Martyrs, confessours and virgyns.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., IV. ii. 296 (Ridley & Hooper). Their upper parts were but Confessours, when their lower parts were Martyrs, and burnt to ashes.
1675. Baxter, Cath. Theol., 33. Gods power to keep the fire from burning the three Confessors, Dan. 3.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., xxiii. 238. Miles Coverdale … a confessor and an exile.
1736. Chandler, Hist. Persec., 84. He is no more a Confessor in my esteem, than Laud is a Martyr.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Relig., Wks. (Bohn), II. 97. The English church has … the seal of martyrs and confessors.
1880. Hatch, Bampt. Lect., ii. 42. In times of persecution the confessors in prison had to be fed.
1885. Arnold, Cath. Dict., s.v., St. Martin was the first … of the Confessors whom the Church honoured with an office.
b. The Confessor: = King Edward the Confessor, canonized in 1161.
[c. 1143. Will. Malmesb., Gest. Reg. Angl., II. § 196 (heading), De Sancto Eadwardo Tertio, Rege et Confessore.
c. 1245. Estoire de St. Aedw. le Rei, 4486 (Rolls), 151. Li seint Cumfessur, Aedward li rois.]
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., XXIV. 1066 (R.). Good Edward, from the rest of that renowned name by Confessor expressed.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., II. vi. § 27. I confesse I understand not how the name Confessour is proper to King Edward.
1821. Wordsw., Eccl. Sonn., I. xxxi. Norm. Conquest. The woman-hearted Confessor prepares The evanescence of the Saxon line.
1878. Edith Thompson, Hist. Eng., vii. § 3. 38. In later days the title of Confessor, which the Church was wont to bestow upon those who were noted for their holy life and death, was conferred upon him [Edward].
1889. W. Hunt in Dict. Nat. Biog. XVII. 13/2. At the coronation of Henry III, in 1236, the Confessor’s sword was carried before the king by the Earl of Chester.
3. One who hears confessions: a priest who hears confession of sin, prescribes penance, and grants absolution; the private spiritual director of a king or other great personage.
[In med.L. better confessarius; but confessor in this sense is quoted by Du Cange from Walafrid Strabo (ob. 849).]
1340. Ayenb., 172. He ssel zeche zuych ane confessour þet conne bynde and onbynde.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 6860. Have me unto his confessour.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), VI. 457. Seynte Dunstan his confessour [Trevisa schriftfader].
1530. Palsgr., 208/1. Confessour a goostly father, confesseur.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., III. iii. 49. Being a Diuine, a Ghostly Confessor, A Sin-Absoluer, and my Friend profest.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Sat. on Fr. King, Wks. 1730, I. 59. Were I thy confessor, who am thy martyr, Dost think that I’d allow thee any quarter?
1737. Hist. Register, 58. Mr. Higget, appointed Confessor to his Majesty, in the Room of the late Dr. Sharp.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, X. 191. With pious haste hurried the confessors To shrive them.
1871. Morley, Voltaire (1886), 181. From the confessor’s closet they pulled the wires which moved courts.
