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berate. Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered. Acts xxv. 12. You shall hear us confer of this. Shak.

To hear or receive such confession; -- said of a priest. He . . . heard mass, and the prince, his son, with him, and the most part of his company were confessed. Ld. Berners.

The recess, seat, or inclosed place, where a priest sits to hear confessions; often a small structure furnished with a seat for the priest and with a window or aperture so that the penitent who is outside may whisper into the priest's ear without being seen by him or heard by others.

A priest hearing, or sitting to hear, confession. [R.] Boucher

A priest who hears the confessions of others and is authorized to grant them absolution.

To connive at what it does not approve. Jer. Taylor. In many of these, the directors were heartily concurring; in most of them, they were encouraging, and sometimes commanding; in all they were conniving. Burke. The government thought it expedient, occasionally, to connive at the violation of this rule. Macaulay.…

er; to surmount; as, to conquer difficulties, temptatin, etc. By winning words to conquer hearts, And make persuasion do the work of fear. Milton.

onscious experience or by external observation; cognizant; aware; sensible. Her conscious heart imputed suspicion where none could have been felt. Hawthorne. The man who breathes most healthilly is least conscious of his own breathing. De Quincey.

An assembly of prelates; a session of the college of cardinals at Rome. Pius was then hearing of causes in consistory. Bacon.

bs.] In one consort there sat Cruel revenge and rancorious despite, Disloyal treason, and heart-burning hate. Spenser. Lord, place me in thy consort. Herbert.

The act or means of communicating any influence to the mind or heart; as, the contagion of enthusiasm. "The contagion of example." Eikon Basilike. When lust . . . Lets in defilement to the inward parts, The soul grows clotted by contagion. Milton.

rom discontent; satisfaction; contentment; moderate happiness. Such is the fullness of my heart's content. Shak.

interruption or cesstaion; continuous; unceasing; lasting; abiding. He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Prov. xv. 15.

extended; as, a continuous line of railroad; a continuous current of electricity. he can hear its continuous murmur. Longfellow.

ing, or of shrinking into shorter or smaller dimensions; as, the contractile tissues. The heart's contractile force. H. Brooke. Each cilium seems to be composed of contractile substance. Hixley. Contractile vacuole (Zoöl.), a pulsating cavity in the interior of a protozoan, supposed to be excretory in function. There m…

tracting, shortening, or shrinking; the state of being contracted; as, contraction of the heart, of the pupil of the eye, or of a tendion; the contraction produced by cold.

in opposition; adverse; as, contrary winds. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me. Lev. xxvi. 21. We have lost our labor; they are gone a contrary way. Shak.

wful for sin because it is displeasing to God; humbly and thoroughly penitent. A contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Ps. li. 17. Be penitent, and for thy fault contrite. Milton.

A spiritual and moral change attending a change of belief with conviction; a change of heart; a change from the service of the world to the service of God; a change of the ruling disposition of the soul, involving a transformation of the outward life. He oft Frequented their assemblies, . . . and to them preached Conve…

ange called conversion in (any one); to turn from a bad life to a good one; to change the heart and moral character of (any one) from the controlling power of sin to that of holiness. He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death. Lames v. 20.