Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CON'FECT, n. [L. confectus, conficio. See Comfit.]

Something prepared with sugar or honey, as fruit, herbs, roots and the like; a sweetmeat. – Harvey.

CON-FECT', v.t.

To make sweetmeats. [See Comfit.]

CON-FECT'ED, pp.

Made into sweetmeats.

CON-FECT'ING, ppr.

Making into sweetmeats.

CON-FEC'TION, n. [L. confectio, from conficio; con and facio, to make.]

1. Any thing prepared with sugar, as fruit; a sweetmeat; something preserved. – Bacon. Encyc.
2. A composition or mixture. – Bacon.
3. A soft electuary. – Encyc.

CON-FEC'TION-ER-Y, n.

1. A place for sweetmeats; a place where sweetmeats and similar things are made or sold.
2. Sweetmeats in general; things prepared or sold by a confectioner.

CON-FEC'TION-ER-Y, or CON-FEC'TION-ER, n.

One whose occupation is to make, or to sell sweetmeats, &c. – Boyle. Shak. [The latter word is most generally used.]

CON-FEC'TOR, n. [L.]

An officer in the Roman games, whose business was to kill any beast that was dangerous. – Milner.

CON-FEC'TO-RY, a.

Pertaining to the art of making sweetmeats. – Beaum.

CON-FED'ER-A-CY, n. [Low L. confœderatio; con and fœderatio, from fœdus, a league. See Federal and Wed.]

1. A league, or covenant; a contract between two or more persons, bodies of men or states, combined in support of each other, in some act or enterprise; mutual engagement; federal compact. The friendships of the world are oft / Confederacies in vice. – Addison. A confederacy of princes to check innovation. – Anon.
2. The persons, states or nations united by a league. Virgil has a whole confederacy against him. – Dryden.
3. In law, a combination of two or more persons to commit an unlawful act. – Encyc.

CON-FED'ER-ATE, a. [Low L. confœderatus.]

United in a league; allied by treaty; engaged in a confederacy. These were confederate with Abram. – Gen. xiv. Syria is confederate with Ephraim. – Is. vii.

CON-FED'ER-ATE, n.

One who is united with others in a league; a person or nation engaged in a confederacy; an ally. – Shak. Dryden.

CON-FED'ER-ATE, v.i. [Fr. confederer; low L. confœdero. But the English verb seems to be directly from the adjective, supra.]

To unite in league; to join in a mutual contract or covenant; as, the colonies of America confederated in 1776: several States of Europe have sometimes confederated for mutual safety. By words men come to know one another's minds; by these they covenant and confederate. South.

CON-FED'ER-ATE, v.t.

To unite in a league; to ally. With these the Piercies them confederate. – Daniel.

CON-FED'ER-A-TED, pp.

United in a league.

CON-FED'ER-A-TING, ppr.

Uniting in a league.

CON-FED-ER-A'TION, n. [Fr. confederation; It. confederazione; Low L. confœderatio; con and fœderatio.]

1. The act of confederating; a league; a compact for mutual support; alliance; particularly of princes, nations or states. The three princes enter into a strict league and confederation. – Bacon.
2. The United States of America are sometimes called the confederation.

CON-FER', v.i. [Fr. conferer; It. conferire; Sp. conferir; L. confero; con and fero, to bear, to bring forth, to show, to declare. See Bear.]

To discourse; to converse; to consult together; implying conversation on some serious or important subject, in distinction from mere talk or light familiar conversation; followed by with. Adonijah conferred with Joab and Abiathar. – 1 Kings i. Festus conferred with the council. – Acts xxv.

CON-FER', v.t.

1. To give, or bestow; followed by on. Coronation confers on the king no royal authority. – South. This word is particularly used to express the grant of favors, benefits and privileges to be enjoyed, or rights which are to be permanent; as, to confer on one the privileges of a citizen; to confer a title or an honor.
2. To compare; to examine by comparison; literally, to bring together. [See Compare.] If we confer these observations with others of the like nature. – Boyle. [This sense, though genuine, is now obsolete.]
3. To contribute; to conduce to; that is, to bring to. The closeness of parts confers much to the strength of the union; – or intransitively, confers to the strength of the union. [Obs.] – Glanville.

CON'FER-ENCE, n. [Fr. conference; Sp. conferencia; It. conferenza. See Confer.]

1. The act of conversing on a serious subject; a discoursing between two or more, for the purpose of instruction, consultation, or deliberation; formal discourse; oral discussion; as, the ministers had a conference at Ratisbon. For they who seemed to be somewhat, in conference added nothing to me. Gal. ii.
2. A meeting for consultation, discussion or instruction.
3. Comparison; examination of things by comparison. The mutual conference of observations. The conference of different passages of scripture. – Hooker. [This sense is, I believe, now obsolete.]

CON-FER'RED, pp.

Given; imparted; bestowed.

CON-FER'RER, n.

One who confers; one who converses; one who bestows.

CON-FER'RING, n.

1. The act of bestowing.
2. Comparison; examination.

CON-FER'RING, ppr.

Conversing together, bestowing.

CON-FER-RU'MIN-A-TED, a.

Sodered together. – Hooker.