confessa

Confessa is an Italian verb form derived from confessare, meaning to confess or to admit. In standard Italian, confessa can function as the third-person singular present indicative (eg, lui/lei confessa la verità) and as the second-person singular informal imperative (confessa!), used to urge someone to confess. The form is thus multifunctional in everyday speech and in written Italian, depending on context and punctuation.

Morphology and usage

The form confessa reflects the regular conjugation of confessare in the present tense. It appears in sentences describing a subject who confesses (he/she confesses) as well as in commands addressed to a second person singular (you, confess). The exact mood—present indicative or imperative—is determined by syntax and punctuation. Italian verbs of this class are otherwise used to express admissions, admissions of guilt, or the disclosure of information.

Etymology

Confessa derives from confessare, itself from Latin confessare, based on confessus, the past participle of confiteri (“to confess”). The Latin roots trace to con- (“together”) and fateri (“to admit”), reflecting the act of acknowledging or admitting something.

Notes and related forms

While confessa is specific to Italian, similar-looking forms exist in other Romance languages with different meanings or spellings (for example, confiesa in Spanish or Portuguese forms for corresponding verb forms). The precise interpretation of confessa in Italian hinges on grammatical context and punctuation. In contemporary usage, it appears across literary, journalistic, and colloquial registers as a common verb form for statements about confessing or for issuing an informal command.