Confessor

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Confessor \Con*fess"or\ (?; 277), n. [OF. confessor, F.
     confesseur, fr. L. & LL. confessor.]
     1. One who confesses; one who acknowledges a fault, or the
        truth of a charge, at the risk of suffering; specifically,
        one who confesses himself a follower of Christ and endures
        persecution for his faith.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              He who dies for religion is a martyr; he who suffers
              for it is a confessor.                --Latham.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Our religion which hath been sealed with the blood
              of so many martyrs and confessors.    --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A priest who hears the confessions of others and is
        authorized to grant them absolution.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  confessor
       n 1: a priest who hears confession and gives absolution
       2: someone who confesses (discloses information damaging to
          themselves)

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  CONFESSOR, evid. A priest of some Christian sect, who receives an account of 
  the sins of his people, and undertakes to give them absolution of their 
  sins. 
       2. The general rule on the subject of giving evidence of confidential 
  communications is, that the privilege is confined to counsel, solicitors, 
  and attorneys, and the interpreter between the counsel and the client. Vide 
  Confidential Communications. Contrary to this general rule, it has been 
  decided in New York, that a priest of the Roman Catholic denomination could 
  not be compelled to divulge secrets which he had received in auricular 
  confession. 2 City Hall Rec. 80, n.; Joy on Conf. Sec. 4, p. 49. See Bouv. 
  Inst. n. 3174 and note.