confessio amantis

English

Etymology

Latin: cōnfessiō (“confession”) + amantis (“of loving”, the genitive singular of amāns, “loving”, the present active participle of amō, “I love”)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kŏnfĕsʹĭō əmănʹtĭs, IPA^(key): /kɒnˈfɛsɪəʊ əˈmæntɪs/

Noun

confessio amantis (plural confessiones amantis or confessiones amantium)

1. A lover’s confession.
   • 1835, Old Maids; Their Varieties, Characters, and Conditions, page 91:

     We think we cannot do better than favour our gentle and ungentle readers with the two following letters — both from distinguished Accidental Old Maids — and addressed to two young maidens, who had no desire that any accident should intervene which might devote them to what they most erroneously denominated ‘joyless celibacy.’ — These letters are in themselves curious ‘confessiones amantium.’

Usage notes

• If “a lover’s confessions” (that is, the multiple confessions of one lover) is the intended sense, use confessiones amantis; if “lovers’ confessions” (the multiple confessions of multiple lovers), use confessiones amantium.
• This phrase occurs overwhelmingly more commonly as the title of John Gower’s Middle English epic poem of the same name.