fess

or fesse

[ fes ]

/ fɛs /

noun Heraldry.

an ordinary in the form of a broad horizontal band across the middle of an escutcheon.

Words nearby fess

fervor, fervour, fescennine, fescue, fescue foot, fess, fess point, fesse, fesse point, fessenden, fest

Origin of fess

1350–1400; Middle English fesse < Anglo-French ≪ Latin fascia fascia

Definition for fess (2 of 3)

fess²

[ fes ]

/ fɛs /

Verb Phrases

fess up, Informal. to admit or concede, especially freely.

Origin of fess

First recorded in 1830–40; aphetic shortening of confess

Definition for fess (3 of 3)

fess³

or fes·sor

[ fes or fes-er ]

/ fɛs or ˈfɛs ər /

noun Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.

a teacher.

Origin of fess

shortening of professor

Examples from the Web for fess

Yele Haiti did fess up to paying you $100,000 for a benefit concert in Monaco.
Wyclef Jean Talks Lauryn Hill, the Yele Haiti Controversy, and Chris Christie|Marlow Stern|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron asks British blokes to fess up about their fantasies—for the good of the children.
Britain’s Idiotic “Opt-In” Porn Ban|Brendan O’Neill|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After initial denials, Quayle was eventually forced to fess up to composing the salacious posts.
Kate Upton’s Congressman Uncle and More Scandalous Political Ties|Ben Jacobs|February 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This makes the third date a natural moment to fess up about any contagious diseases.
Third-Date Confessions|Hannah Seligson|May 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The “fess up” cliché assumes that the media climate has not changed since the 1990s.
Could It Get Worse?|Eric Dezenhall|December 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In the annexed example the large dot in the centre shows the fess point; the point within the letter D, the honour point.
The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition|Anonymous
I hates ter 'fess hit ter you, m'am, but I formed de habit, same ez drinkin' licker—I beat her!
The Sins of the Father|Thomas Dixon
A shield parted in the centre by an horizontal line through the fess point.
The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition|Anonymous
You know every man, woman, and child by name and nature—now 'fess!
Joyce's Investments|Fannie E. Newberry
That part of the shield between the precise middle chief and the fess point.
The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for fess

fess

/ (fɛs) /

verb

(intr foll by up) informal, mainly US to make a confession

Word Origin for fess

C19: shortened from confess

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012