Confer, kon-fėr′, v.t. to give or bestow: to compare (notes), collate—abbrev. cf.—v.i. to talk or consult together:—pr.p. confer′ring; pa.p. conferred′.—ns. Conferee′, one conferred with; Con′ference, the act of conferring: an appointed meeting for instruction or discussion.—adjs. Conferen′tial; Confer′rable.—n. Confer′rer, one who confers. [Fr.,—L. conferre—con, together, ferre, to bring.]
Conferva, kon-fėr′va, n. a genus of lower fresh-water Algæ, forming slimy masses or tufts in ponds and stagnent pools, easily recognised by their unbranched filaments.—adj. Confer′void. [L. conferva, a kind water-plant.]
Confess, kon-fes′, v.t. to acknowledge fully, esp. something wrong: to own or admit: to make known, as sins to a priest: to hear a confession, as a priest.—v.i. to make confession.—ns. Confes′sion, acknowledgment of a crime or fault: avowal; a statement of one's religious belief: acknowledgment of sin to a priest; Confes′sional, the seat or enclosed recess where a priest hears confessions.—adj. pertaining to confession.—ns. Confes′sionalism; Confes′sionalist.—adj. Confes′sionary, of or belonging to confession.—n. a confessional.—ns. Confess′or, one who professes the Christian faith, or a priest who hears confessions and grants absolution: one who endures persecution but not death:—fem. Confess′oress; Confess′orship.—adjs. Confessed′, Confest′, admitted: avowed: evident.—advs. Confess′edly, Confest′ly.—Confession of Faith, a formulary embodying the religious beliefs of a church or sect: a creed.—Confess to, to admit, acknowledge; Stand confessed, to be revealed. [Fr. confesser—L. confitēri, confessus—con, sig. completeness, and fatēri—fāri, to speak.]
Confide, kon-fīd′, v.i. to trust wholly or have faith (with in): to rely.—v.t. to entrust, or commit to the charge of.—ns. Confidant′, one confided in or entrusted with secrets: a bosom-friend:—fem. Confidante′; Con′fidence, firm trust or belief: faith: self-reliance: firmness: boldness: presumption; Con′fidency.—adj. Con′fident, trusting firmly: having full belief: positive: bold.—n. a confidential friend.—adj. Confiden′tial, (given) in confidence: admitted to confidence: private.—advs. Confiden′tially; Con′fidently.—n. Confid′er, one who confides.—adj. Confid′ing, trustful.—adv. Confid′ingly.—n. Confid′ingness.—Confidence trick, a swindler's trick, whereby a person is induced to hand over money as a mark of confidence in the swindler; Confidant person, in Scots law, a confidential person, partner, agent, &c. [L. confidĕre—con, sig. completeness, and fidĕre, to trust.]
Configuration, kon-fig-ū-rā′shun, n. external figure or shape: outline: relative position or aspect, as of planets.—vs.t. Config′urate, Config′ure, to shape. [L. configuratio—con, together, and figurāre, to form. See Figure.]
Confine, kon′fīn, n. border, boundary, or limit—generally in pl.: (kon-fīn′) confinement: (Shak.) a prison.—v.t. Confine′, to border; to be adjacent to: to limit, enclose: to imprison.—adjs. Confin′-able; Confined′, limited: imprisoned: narrow; Confine′less (Shak.), without bound: unlimited.—ns. Confine′ment, state of being shut up: restraint: imprisonment: restraint from going abroad by sickness, and esp. of women in childbirth; Confin′er. one within the confines: (Shak.) an inhabitant.—adj. Confin′ing, bordering: limiting.—Be confined, to be limited: to be in child-bed. [Fr. confiner—L. confinis, bordering—con, together, finis, the end.]
Confirm, kon-fėrm′, v.t. to strengthen: to fix or establish: to ratify: to verify: to assure: to admit to full communion.—adj. Confirm′able.—n. Confirmā′tion, a making firm or sure: convincing proof: the rite by which persons are admitted to full communion in the R.C., Greek, Lutheran, Anglican, and other Churches.—adjs. Confirm′ative, tending to confirm; Confirm′atory, giving additional strength to: confirming; Confirmed′, settled: inveterate.—ns. Confirmee′, one to whom anything is confirmed; Confirm′er; Confirm′ing. [O. Fr. confermer—L. confirmāre—con, inten., and firmāre—firmus, firm.]
Confiscate, kon′fis-kāt, or kon-fis′-, v.t. to appropriate to the state, as a penalty: to take possession of.—adj. forfeited to the public treasury.—adjs. Confis′cable, Confis′catory, of the nature of confiscation.—ns. Confiscā′tion, the act of confiscating; Con′fiscātor, one who confiscates. [L. confiscāre, -ātum—con, together, fiscus, a basket.]
Confit, kon′fit, n. (obs.). Same as Comfit.
Confiteor, kon-fit′ē-or, n. a form of prayer or confession used in the Latin Church. [L. confiteor, I confess.]