confessant en · NOUN
Etymology
From French confessant, equivalent to confess + -ant.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) One who confesses to a priest.
[T]he poſture of the Confeſſant and the Prieſt in Confeſsion: which is, that the Confeſſant kneeles downe before the Prieſt ſitting in a raiſed chaire aboue him.
1625, Francis [Bacon], “[Apophthegm 213]”, in Apophthegmes New and Old. […], London: […] Hanna Barret, and Richard Whittaker, […], →OCLC, page 234:In 2013, though, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that clergy were required to report abuse because confessants "cannot have an objectively reasonable expectation that such a statement will remain confidential."
2019 July 18, Jacob Wallace, “In 44 States, Clergy Don't Have to Tell Police When Someone Confesses to Child Sex Abuse”, in Newsweek:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| confessants | Number=Plur | lexicographic |