Wiktionary

confection

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English confescioun, borrowed from Old French confeccion (French confection), borrowed from Latin cōnfectiōnem, from confectus, past participle of conficere (“prepare”), from com- (“with”) + facere (“to make, do”). Originally "the making by means of ingredients"; sense of "candy or light pastry" predominant since 1500s.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /kənˈfɛkʃən/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun edit

confection (plural confections)

  1. A food item prepared very sweet, frequently decorated in fine detail, and often preserved with sugar, such as a candy, sweetmeat, fruit preserve, pastry, or cake.
    The table was covered with all sorts of tempting confections.
  2. The act or process of confecting; the process of making, compounding, or preparing something.
  3. The result of such a process; something made up or confected; a concoction.
    The defense attorney maintained that the charges were a confection of the local police.
  4. (dated) An artistic, musical, or literary work taken as frivolous, amusing, or contrived; a composition of a light nature.
  5. (dated) Something, such as a garment or a decoration, that is very elaborate, delicate, or luxurious, usually also impractical or non-utilitarian.
    • 2007, Susan Sizemore, Primal Desires:
      She found a sexy, lacy confection in a lingerie drawer and quickly slipped into it.
  6. (pharmacology) A preparation of medicine sweetened with sugar, honey, syrup, or the like; an electuary.
    1. (obsolete, medicine) A medicinal preparation of any kind, a compound of drugs.
    2. (obsolete) A deadly poison.
      • 2007, Unknown, edited by White, Martin and Lockwood, Tom, Arden of Faversham, 2nd edition, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 20, Scene 1, ll. 421–425:
        Was it not a goodly poison that he gave!
        Why, he's as well now as he was before.
        It shuld have been some fine confection
        That might have given the broth some dainty taste

Related terms edit

Translations edit

Verb edit

confection (third-person singular simple present confections, present participle confectioning, simple past and past participle confectioned)

  1. To make into a confection, prepare as a confection.

French edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Old French confeccion, borrowed from Latin cōnfectiōnem.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

confection f (plural confections)

  1. making, creation, development, confection
    L’emplacement standard pour la confection d’une fistule A-V est l’avant-bras non-dominant des patients.
    The standard entry point for the creation of an arteriovenous fistula is on a patient's non-dominant forearm.
  2. ready-to-wear clothing
  3. the ready-to-wear clothing industry

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • → Polish: konfekcja
  • → Turkish: konfeksiyon

Further reading edit

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