Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CON-FUTE', v.t. [L. confuto; con and futo; Sp. confutar; It. confutare. Class Bd.]

1. To disprove; to prove to be false, defective or invalid; to overthrow; as, to confute arguments, reasoning, theory, error.
2. To prove to be wrong; to convict of error, by argument or proof; as, to confute an advocate at the bar; to confute a writer.