fess

or fesse

[ fes ]

/ fɛs /

noun Heraldry.

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

Nearby words

fervor, fervour, fescennine, fescue, fescue foot, fess, fess point, fesse, fesse point, fessenden, fessenden, william pitt

Origin of fess

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

Definition for fess (2 of 3)

fess

[ 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)

fess

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Word Origin and History for fess (1 of 2)

fess

shortened form of confess, attested by 1840, American English. Related: Fessed; fesses; fessing.

Word Origin and History for fess (1 of 2)

fess

"white horizontal band across an escutcheon," late 15c., from Old French faisce, from Latin fascia (see fasces).