different between confession vs profession

English

Alternative forms

• confessione (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English confessioun, from Old French confession, from Latin c?nfessi?, c?nfessi?nem (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”). Doublet of confessio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?f???n/

Noun

confession (countable and uncountable, plural confessions)

1. The open admittance of having done something (especially something bad).
2. A formal document providing such an admission.

3. (Christianity) The disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is now termed the sacrament of reconciliation.

   I went to confession and now I feel much better about what I had done.
4. Acknowledgment of belief; profession of one's faith.
5. A formula in which the articles of faith are comprised; a creed to be assented to or signed, as a preliminary to admission to membership of a church; a confession of faith.

Derived terms

• confessional
• nonconfession

Related terms

• confess

Translations

French

Etymology

From Old French confession, from Latin c?nfessi?, c?nfessi?nem (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.f?.sj??/

Noun

confession f (plural confessions)

1. confession (admittance of having done something, good, bad or neutral)
2. confession (the disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution)
3. creed (a declaration of one's religious faith)

Derived terms

• donner le bon Dieu sans confession

Descendants

• ? German: Konfession
• ? Romanian: confesiune

Further reading

• “confession” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle English

Noun

confession (plural confessions)

1. alternative form of confessioun

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin c?nfessi?.

Noun

confession f (plural confessions)

1. confession

Related terms

• confessar

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin c?nfessi?, c?nfessi?nem.

Noun

confession f (oblique plural confessions, nominative singular confession, nominative plural confessions)

1. confession (the disclosure of one's sins to a clergyman for absolution)

Descendants

• French: confession
  • ? German: Konfession
  • ? Romanian: confesiune
• ? Middle English: confessioun, confession, confessyon, confessyone, confessyown
  • English: confession

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman professioun, Old French profession (“declaration of faith, religious vows, occupation”), from Latin professi? (“avowal, public declaration”), from the participle stem of profit?r? (“to profess”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p???f???n/

Noun

profession (plural professions)

1. A declaration of belief, faith or one's opinion, whether genuine or pretended.

   Despite his continued professions of innocence, the court eventually sentenced him to five years.

2. An occupation, trade, craft, or activity in which one has a professed expertise in a particular area; a job, especially one requiring a high level of skill or training.

   My father was a barrister by profession.

3. The practitioners of such an occupation collectively.

   His conduct is against the established practices of the legal profession.

4. A promise or vow made on entering a religious order.

   She died only a few years after her profession.

   • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 27:

     Rosario was a young novice belonging to the monastery, who in three months intended to make his profession.

Derived terms

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin professi?, professi?nem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??.f?.sj??/

Noun

profession f (plural professions)

1. profession, public declaration

   Toute profession d'incrédulité (...) sera poursuivie comme outrage à la religion et scandale pour les mœurs. (Proudhon, Révol. soc., 1852)

   1. profession, public declaration of faith

      D'une voix altérée, il prononça la profession de foi musulmane, comme pour se prémunir contre une tentation qu'il redoutait sans pouvoir la préciser. (Du Camp, Nil, 1854)

2. profession, occupation, trade, craft, activity

   une profession lucrative.

3. profession, practitioners of a profession collectively

   Ces décisions s'imposent à toute la profession, elles ne sont exécutoires qu'après approbation par le ministre.

Derived terms

• profession de foi
• professionnalisation
• professionnaliser
• professionnalisme
• professionnellement
• professionnel, professionnelle

Related terms

• professer
• professeur

References

• “profession” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Alternative forms

• professioun (Anglo-Norman)
• professiun (Anglo-Norman)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin profession.

Noun

profession f (oblique plural professions, nominative singular profession, nominative plural professions)

1. profession; declaration (usually of faith)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (profession, supplement)