Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CON-FESS', v.t. [Fr. confesser; It. confessare; Sp. confesar; Port. confessar; from L. confiteor, confessum; con and fateor, to own or acknowledge; Ir. faoisdin.]

1. To own, acknowledge or avow, as a crime, a fault, a charge, a debt, or something that is against one's interest, or reputation; as, I confess the argument against me is good, and not easily refuted; let us frankly confess our sins. Human faults with human grief confess. – Prior. “Confess thee freely of thy sins,” used by Shakspeare, is not legitimate, unless in the sense of Catholics.
2. In the Romish Church, to acknowledge sins and faults to a priest; to disclose the state of the conscience to a priest, in private, with a view to absolution; sometimes with the reciprocal pronoun. The beautiful votary confessed herself to this celebrated father. – Addison.
3. To own, avow or acknowledge; publicly to declare a belief in and adherence to. Whoever shall confess me before men. – Matth. x.
4. To own and acknowledge, as true disciples, friends or children. Him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven. – Matth. x.
5. To own; to acknowledge; to declare to be true, or to admit or assent to in words; opposed to deny. Then will I confess to thee that thy own right hand can save thee. – Job xl. These … confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. – Heb. xi.
6. To show by the effect; to prove; to attest. Tall thriving trees confessed the fruitful mold. – Pope.
7. To hear or receive the confession of another; as, the priest confessed the nuns.