confidências

Confidências is a term used in Portuguese to denote secrets or intimate communications shared in trust, as well as the content of those disclosures. In everyday language, confidências refer to information entrusted to someone who is considered reliable, or to revelations expressed during private conversations. The plural form can describe either the act of confiding or the semiprivate material that is disclosed.

Etymology and scope: confidência derives from the verb confiar, meaning to confide or trust. The noun historically covers both the act of sharing secrets and the secrets themselves, encompassing private matters, personal reflections, or sensitive information disclosed within a confidant relationship. In some historical contexts, confidência can also imply a secret plot or a confidential plan.

Cantigas de confidência: In medieval Galician-Portuguese literature, cantigas de confidência (also called cantigas de confidência) constitute a recognized lyric genre. These poems typically appear as dialogue or exchange between speakers, often featuring a female voice confiding to a male interlocutor (or a chorus) about love, social norms, or personal circumstance. They are valued as sources for studying medieval vernacular poetry, gender dynamics, and the rhetoric of private disclosure in the culture of the time.

Modern use: Today, confidências can refer to any private disclosures made in confidence, including diaries, memoirs, or confessional writing. The term also appears in titles and themes across literature and journalism to evoke intimate or revealing content shared in trusted relationships.