Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

confessus, a, um, Part., from confiteor.

confĭtĕor, fessus, 2 (arch. inf. confiterier, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 22), v. dep. [fateor], to acknowledge, confess, own, avow (an error, mistake, or a fact previously denied or doubted, etc., implying a sacrifice of will or a change of conviction; while fateor expresses a simple acknowledgment, and profiteor a voluntary avowal), to concede, allow, grant (class. in prose and poetry): quid confitetur, atque ita libenter confitetur, ut non solum fateri sed etiam profiteri videatur? Cic. Caecin. 9, 24; cf.: hic ego non solum confiteor, verum etiam profiteor, id. Fragm. ap. Non. p. 434, 30: tacendo loqui, non infitiando confiteri videbantur, id. Sest. 18, 40.

  1. I. In gen.
          1. (α) With acc.: et genus et divitias meas, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 52: peccatum suum, Cic. N. D. 2, 4, 11: amorem nutrici, Ov. M. 14, 703; cf.: amorem patris nutrici, Quint. 9, 2, 64: crimen, Curt. 6, 11, 31: facinus, id. 8, 8, 2: singula, * Cat. 86, 2: se, to make one’s self known (sc. Jovem), Ov. M. 3, 2; cf. deam, Verg. A. 2, 591.
            With two accs.: se victos, Cacs. B. C. 1, 84: se imperitum, Quint. 1, 10, 19: causam Caesaris meliorem, id. 5, 11, 42: hoc de statuis, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 60, § 149: summam infirmitatem de se, Quint. 2, 4, 28: de se quid voluerit, id. 8, 4, 23.
          2. (β) With acc. and inf.: hoc confiteor jure mi obtigisse, Ter. And. 3, 5, 1; id. Heaut. 2, 3, 97; 5, 3, 12: me abs te cupisse laudari aperte atque ingenue confitebar, Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 2; 1, 9, 18; id. N. D. 1, 7, 44; Lucr. 1, 271; 1, 826; 2, 691 al.; Quint. 2, 17, 19; 11, 1, 85; Suet. Caes. 52 et saep.
          3. (γ) Absol.: ut eampse vos audistis confiterier, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 22; Ter. Heaut. 5, 3, 13; id. Phorm. 5, 9 (8), 46: confitentem audire Torquatum, Cic. Fin. 2, 7, 21; Ov. M. 2, 52; 13, 270; Curt. 6, 11, 14; Tac. A. 11, 28: vere, Ov. R. Am. 318; cf.: confessae manus, i. e. confessing defeat, id. M. 5, 215.
          4. (δ) With de: de maleficio, Cic. Rosc. Am. 41, 119; so id. ib. 42, 123; Tac. A. 14, 59; cf. supra, a fin.
        1. b. Part. perf.: confessus, a, um, in a pass. signif.: aes, Lex XII. Tab. ap. Gell. 15, 13, 11, and 20, 1, 45; Dig. 42, 1, 15; v. under P. a.
          Hence,
  2. II. Esp., after the Aug. per., sometimes, to reveal, manifest, make known, show.
          1. (α) With acc.: confessa vultibus iram, Ov. M. 6, 35: motum animi sui lacrimis, Quint. 6, 1, 23: admirationem suam plausu, id. 8, 3, 3; 9, 4, 39: cupidinem coëundi, id. 1, 28, 2.
          2. (β) With acc. and inf., Quint. 1, 6, 15; 4, 2, 122; Plin. Ep. 3, 14, 3; Pall. Jun. 7, 6.
  3. III. In eccl. writers, to confess, own, acknowledge: Christum, Prud. στεφ. 5, 40.
    With dat.: tibi, Domine, Vulg. Psa. 137, 1: nomini tuo, id. ib. 141, 8.
    Absol., Cypr. Ep. 15.—confessus, a, um, P. a.
      1. 1. Act., confessing, that has acknowledged, pleaded guilty, etc.: reus, Ov. P. 2, 2, 56: in judicio reus, Dig. 48, 4, 4, § 1.
        Subst.: confessi, ōrum, m., criminals who have confessed their guilt: de confessis supplicium sumere, Sall. C. 52, 36.
      2. 2. Pass., lit., acknowledged; hence, undoubted, evident, certain, incontrovertible (most freq. in the post-Aug. per.): ut omnes intellegant, quam improbam, quam manifestam, quam confessam rem pecuniā redimere conetur, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 56, § 130: confessā in re, Plin. 7, 49, 50, § 164; 20, 11, 45, § 116.
        Esp., subst.: confessum, i, n., an undoubted, certain, acknowledged thing, matter: a confessis transeamus ad dubiā, Sen. Q. N. 2, 21, 1: adhuc versamur in confessis, Quint. 7, 1, 48: de confessis disserere, Plin. 10, 49, 70, § 138 al.
        Hence the phrases: ex confesso, confessedly, beyond doubt, Quint. 3, 5, 3; Sen. Ep. 76, 12: in confesso esse, to be notorious, everywhere known, id. Ben. 3, 11, 2; id. Brev. Vit. 2, 3; id. Q. N. 2, 22, 2; Vell. 2, 85, 4; Plin. 35, 8, 34, § 54; Tac. Or. 25; 27: vita cervis in confesso longa est, Plin. 8, 32, 50, § 191; Amm. 21, 1, 3: in confessum venire, to be generally acknowledged, be well known, Plin. Ep. 10, 81 (85), 8; cf.: ad liquidum confessumque perducere omnia, Quint. 5, 14, 28: pro confesso habere aliquid, Lact. 2, 8.