confestly

[Eng, confest; -ly.] Confe edly, admittedly, avowedly, openly; with acknowledgment. "They addre to that principle which is confestly predominant in our nature."-Decay of Piety. *con fi-cient (cient as chent), a . [Lat. con ficiens , pr. par. of conficio =to confound, to effect.] That which causes or effects; effective. ( Bailey .) con-fi-dant (m.), con'-fi-dante (f.), s . [Fr. confident (m.), confidente (f.); O. Fr. confidant (m.), confidante (f.).] [CONFIDENT.] One who is intrusted with private secrets, especially one trusted in affairs of love; a bosom friende "Quick with the tale, and ready with the lie- The genial confidante , and general spy." IMG:content-0548.png:[blocks in formation] Pope : Homer's Iliad , bk. ix., 1. 58-60. B. Trans.: To intrust or give in charge to another; to commit, to acknowledge. "... it had been confided to two eminent men,..." Macaulay: Hist. Eng ., ch. xi. Crabb thus discriminates between to confide and to trust : "Both these verbs expre a reliance on the fidelity of another, but confide is to trust as the species to the genus; we always trust when we confide , but not vice vers a . We confide to a person that which is of the greatest importance to ourselves; we trust to him whenever we rest on his word for anything. We need rely only on a person's integrity when we trust to him, but we rely alse on his abilities and mental qualifications when we place confidence; it is an extraordinary trust , founded on a powerful conviction in a person's favor. Confidence frequently supposes something secret as well as personal; trust respects only the personal interest. A king confides in his ministers and generals for the due execution of his plans, and the administration of the laws; one friend confides in another when he discloses to him all his private concerns; a merchant trusts to his clerks when he employs them in his busine ; individuals trust each other with portions of their property. A breach of trust evinces a want of that common principle which keeps human society together; but a breach of confidence betrays a more than ordinary share of basene and depravity." (Crabb: Eng. Synon.) con-fi-děd, pa . par . or a. [CONFIDE.] con-fi-dençe, *con-fi-dens, s. [Fr. confidence, con fiance ; Ital. confidenza , confidanza ; Sp. conf i dencia, confianza , from Lat. confident i a , from con fidens , pr. par. of confido =to confide: con = cum = with, together, fully, and fido = to trust; fid us = faithful, trustworthy.] 1. The act of confiding in or placing firm trust or reliance on any person or thing; trust, belief. the Cardinal Benedict, who enjoyed his full and unlimited confidence." - Milman: Hist. Latin Chris tianity , bk. ix., ch. vii. It is now followed by in , but formerly of was also used. "Society is built on trust, and trust upon confidence of one another's integrity."- South . 2. Firm trust or reliance on one's self or one's powers or abilities; boldne . "His times being rather prosperous than calm, had raised his confidence by succe ."- Bacon: Henry VII. 3. Exce ive trust or belief in one's self, boldne , a urance, conceit. " their confidence, for the most part, riseth from Hooker: Dedication. too much credit given to their own wits, *4. That in which reliance or trust is placed, a ground of trust or reliance. "What confidence is this wherein thou trust est?"2 Kings xviii. 19. *5. A state or condition of close intimacy or trust. "Such a citizen who lived afterwards in great cont dence with Cæsar."-Middle ton: Cicero, i. 244. 6. The quality of being worthy to be confided in or relied on; trustworthine . "He was met by ministers of confidence , commi ioned to seize the offices of government." -Gibbon : Decline and Fall , iv. 134. IMG:content-0549.png:[blocks in formation] "Defying earth, and confident of heaven." Byron: Lara, ii. 8. (3) Followed by in . 2. Self-reliant, bold, courageous. "Achilles answered; all thou knowest, speake and be confident." Chapman: Homer's Iliad , bk. i. pine, pit, sire, sir, marine; gō, pot, "Rome, be as just and gracious unto me, As I am confident and kind to thee." "And whom?-the gracious, the confiding hand." Thomson: Liberty , pt. 5. 2. Trusting; having confidence, trust, or reliance. 3. Over-trustful, credulous, unsuspicious. "He had a confiding wife, and he treated her as confl ding wives only are treated." -Thackeray : Vanity Fair. C. As substantive: 1. The act of giving or committing in trust. 2. The act of communicating in confidence. 3. The act or state of having trust or confidence in. cồn-fi-ding-lỹ, adv . [Eng. confiding ; -ly.] In a confiding manner; with confidence, confidently. "A priest who had confidingly accompanied them, acted as interpreter." -J. Grant; Inventors, ., in Ca ell's Tech . Ed ., pt. ii., p. 326. con-fig-u-rate, v . i . [ Lat.conf i gur at us , pa. par. of configuro : con cum with, together, and figuro = to form, to figure; figura = a figure.] To a ume a harmonious or concordant shape; to take form or position, as the parts of a complex structure. "Where pyramids to pyramids relate, And the whole fabric doth configurate ." Jordan: Poems (before 1650). con-fig-u-rā-tion, s . [Fr. configuration ; Lat. configuratio , from conf i gur at us , pa. par. of con- figuro .] †1. Ord. Lang.: The form, shape, or position of parts of anything in relation to each other. *2. Astrol .: The relative position of the planets; the face of the horoscope according to the relative aspects of the planets at any time. "The aspects, conjunctions, and configurations of the stars ."-Sir T. Browne: Christian Morals , ii. 9. configure (con-fig-yür), v . t . [Fr.con figurer; Lat. configuro .] To dispose or arrange into any shape or form; to fashion, shape, or frame after a model. "Algatis this may not suffer it be, Latin is confider with Troianis and Enee." Doug.: Virgil, 317, 12. con-fi-ding, pr . par ., a. & s. [CONFIDE, v .] A. As pr. par.: In senses corresponding to those "There is infinite virtue in the Almighty, not conf i- nable to any limits."- Bp . Hall : Rem ., р. 90. con-fine or †con-fine', s . & a. [CONFINE, v.] A. As substantive: *2. A neighbor; or perhaps bordering or neighbor- ing territory. "Now, neighbor confines , purge you of your scum." Shakesp.: Hen. IV ., Pt . II ., iv. 4. *3. A place of confinement. "Ham. A goodly one; in which there are many con- fines, wards, and dungeons; Denmark being one of the worst." Shakesp.: Hamlet , ii. 2. "Reg. O, sir, you are old, Nature in you stands on the very verge Of her confine: you should be ruled, and led By some discretion, that discerns your state." IMG:content-0550.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0551.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0552.png:[blocks in formation] (2) Restricted in application or reference. II. Medical : 1. Brought to bed of a child. 2. Constipated. For the difference between confined and con- tracted , see CONTRACTED. *con-fi-něd-ně , s . [Eng. confined; -ne .] The state or quality of being confined, limited, or IMG:content-0553.png:[blocks in formation] way of punishment; but we are never imprisoned but in some specific place appointed for the con- fine ment of offenders, and always on some supposed offense. Confinement is so general a term as to be applied to animals and even inanimate objects; imprisonment and captivity are applied in the proper sense to persons only, but they admit of a figurative application. The poor stray brutes, who are found trespa ing on unlawful ground, are doomed to a wretched confinement , rendered still more hard and intolerable by the want of food: the confinement of plants within too narrow a space will stop their growth for want of air." ( Crabb : Eng. Synon.) strengthens one's self: a testimony may be con firmed or corroborated ; but the thing confirms , the person corroborates: when the truth of a person's a ertions is called in question, it is fortunate for him when circumstances present themselves that confirm the truth of what he has said, or if he have respectabie friends to corroborate his testimony." (Crabb: Eng. Synon.) He also discriminates between to confirm and to establish: "The idea of strengthening is common to these as to the former terms, but with a different application confirm respects the state of a per- son's mind, and whatever acts upon the mind; establish is employed with regard to whatever is external: a report is confirmed; a reputation is established: a person is confirmed in the persuasion or belief of any truth or circumstance a thing is established in the public estimation. The mind seeks its own means of confirming itself; things are established either by time or authority: no person should be hasty in giving credit to reports that are not fully confirmed , nor in giving support to me as- ures that are not established upon surest grounds; a reciprocity of good offices serves to confirm an alliance, or a good understanding between people *1. One who lives upon the borders or confines of and nations; interest or reciprocal affection serves another country; a borderer. IMG:content-0554.png:[blocks in formation] to establish an intercourse between individuals, which has, perhaps, been casually commenced." ( Crabb : Eng . Synon .) con-firm-a-ble, IMG:content-0555.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-0556.png:[merged small][merged small][ocr errors] "Your eyes shall witne and confirm my tale, Our youth how dextrous, and how fleet our sail." Pope: Homer's Ody ey, bk. vii., 1. 417, 418. Fate leads me; I will follow-There you read What may confirm you." Ford: The Witch of Edmonton, i. 2. 6. To fix firmly in, to radicate. II. Ecclesiastical : IMG:content-0557.png:[blocks in formation] "For their confirm ance, I will therefore now Slepe in our black barke." Chapman: Homer's Ody ey, bk. iii. con-fir-mā-tion, *con-fir-mā-çion, s . [Fr. confirmation ; Prov. cofermatio, confirmation ; Sp. confirm a cion; Port. confirm ação ; Ital. conferma zione: all from Lat. confirmatio (acc. confirm a tionem ).] 1. The act of confirming anything or any person. Vulgar Errors. (1) Gen.: In the foregoing sense. (2) Spec .: Evidence in support of a doctrine or a statement; proof. tion of his doctrine, were in themselves sufficient."- "The arguments brought by Christ for the confirm a . South. IMG:content-0558.png:[ocr errors] IMG:content-0559.png:[blocks in formation] (2) Hist .: The pa ages adduced in support of this rite are Heb. vi. 1. Acts viii. 14-17, xix. 5, 6, especially the first of the three. Confirmation was originally administered as the concluding part of the baptis- mal ceremony, whether the baptized person were an adult or an infant. Some think the practice was general by the year A. D. 190. The primitive prae- firmed invalid. tice in this respect still continues in the Greek "These affecting hallucinations terrified them, lest Church. Chrism, or sacred ointment, was used at they should settle into a confirmed lo of reason. least from the time of Tertullian, in the 2d century. -Sir E. L. Bulwer: Eugene Aram , bk. vii., ch. xxxiii. The unction was the first part of the ceremony; the second was the consignation, or signing with the sign of the cro ; and the third was the imposition 1. To administer the right of confirmation to. of the bishop's hands, with the invocation of the [CONFIRMATION.] IMG:content-0560.png:[blocks in formation] firm at i on (q. v.). II. Eccles .: Having received the right of con- con firm-ěd-ly, adv . [ Eng.confirmed ; -ly.] 1. So as to confirm; in a manner to bring con- firm at i on. Ghost." The opposition by the Protestants in the fixed. 16th century to the administration of Confirmation to infants made the Council of Trent postpone it to the seventh year of a child's age. (3) Present Practice in the Church of England Decay of Piety . IMG:content-0561.png:[blocks in formation] The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia IMG:content-0563.png:[blocks in formation] "Confermynge his a sacrement."- Shoreham , p. 13. côn-firm-Ing-ly, adv . [Eng. confirming ; -ly .] So as to cor fir n, ratify, or give confirmation to; in a confirming or corroborative manner. the vow that they used in her rites, somewhat confirmingly alludes."-B. Jonson. Part of the King's Entertainment.