confesseur

confessor (priest)

noun kohn-feh-SUR Rare

Origin: Latin confessor (one who confesses the faith)

Usage Note

Confesseur refers to a priest who hears confessions, or historically to a person who proclaimed the Christian faith under persecution but did not die for it (a 'confessor' saint). The penitent is the pénitent, and the act of hearing confession is entendre en confession. The word carries a formal, religious register.

Examples

"Le roi avait son confesseur attitré."

Natural Translation

The king had his appointed confessor.

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