confiteor

See also: Confiteor

English

Etymology

From Latin cōnfiteor (“I confess”), the first word of the prayer and used as its title in Ecclesiastical Latin. Doublet of confess.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kən-fĭʹ-tē-ôr or kŏn-, -fē-, IPA^(key): /kənˈfɪtiɔː/, /kɒn-/, /-fiː-/
• Hyphenation: con‧fi‧te‧or, con‧fi‧teor

Noun

confiteor (plural confiteors)

1. (Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) A prayer, typically beginning “I confess to Almighty God…” in English, in which public confession of sins is made.
   • 1967, The Saturday Evening Post‎^[1], volume 240, page 80:

     “Pugh!” she said. “You are disgusting! Go into the chapel now and say a confiteor each for your sin.”

Latin

Etymology

From con- +‎ fateor (“acknowledge, own (up to)”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /konˈfi.te.or/, [kõːˈfɪt̪eɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /konˈfi.te.or/, [koɱˈfiːt̪eor]

Verb

cōnfiteor (present infinitive cōnfitērī or cōnfitērier, perfect active cōnfessus sum); second conjugation, deponent

1. to confess, admit

   Synonym: profiteor

   Confiteor Deo omnipotenti...

   I confess to almighty God...

2. to acknowledge, agree
3. (figuratively) to reveal, show
4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) to praise, give thanks

   Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius.

   Give praise to Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Conjugation

Conjugation of cōnfiteor (second conjugation, deponent)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	cōnfiteor	cōnfitēris, cōnfitēre	cōnfitētur	cōnfitēmur	cōnfitēminī	cōnfitentur
	imperfect	cōnfitēbar	cōnfitēbāris, cōnfitēbāre	cōnfitēbātur	cōnfitēbāmur	cōnfitēbāminī	cōnfitēbantur
	future	cōnfitēbor	cōnfitēberis, cōnfitēbere	cōnfitēbitur	cōnfitēbimur	cōnfitēbiminī	cōnfitēbuntur
	perfect	cōnfessus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	cōnfessus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	cōnfessus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	cōnfitear	cōnfiteāris, cōnfiteāre	cōnfiteātur	cōnfiteāmur	cōnfiteāminī	cōnfiteantur
	imperfect	cōnfitērer	cōnfitērēris, cōnfitērēre	cōnfitērētur	cōnfitērēmur	cōnfitērēminī	cōnfitērentur
	perfect	cōnfessus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	cōnfessus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	cōnfitēre	—	—	cōnfitēminī	—
	future	—	cōnfitētor	cōnfitētor	—	—	cōnfitentor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		cōnfitērī, cōnfitērier1	cōnfessum esse	cōnfessūrum esse	—	—	—
participles		cōnfitēns	cōnfessus	cōnfessūrus	—	—	cōnfitendus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		cōnfitendī	cōnfitendō	cōnfitendum	cōnfitendō	cōnfessum	cōnfessū

¹The present passive infinitive in -ier is a rare poetic form which is attested.

Derived terms

• cōnfessiō
• cōnfessor
• cōnfessus

Related terms

• diffiteor
• fateor
• prōfiteor

Descendants

• → English: confiteor
• → Spanish: confíteor (learned)
• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: confessō
  • Catalan: confessar
  • Old French: confesser
    • → Middle English: confessen
      • English: confess
    • Middle French: confesser
      • French: confesser
        • Romanian: confesa
  • Italian: confessare
  • Portuguese: confessar
  • Spanish: confesar

References

• “confiteor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “confiteor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• confiteor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.