confection

noun

con·​fec·​tion kən-ˈfek-shən How to pronounce confection (audio)
1
: the act or process of confecting
2
: something confected: such as
a
: a fancy dish or sweetmeat
also : a sweet food
b
: a medicinal preparation usually made with sugar, syrup, or honey
c
: a work of fine or elaborate craftsmanship
d
: a light but entertaining theatrical, cinematic, or literary work

Did you know?

As a wise blue monster with a famous sweet tooth once noted, “c” is for cookie. And sure, that’s good enough for us, but sometimes the moment calls for a wide variety of delectables, not just cookies. In such times, you might remember that “c” is also for confection. Confection is a word that refers to something confected—that is, put together—from several different ingredients or elements. Often confections are sweet and edible, but confection can also be used to refer to a finely worked piece of craftsmanship. In other words, the lacy box containing chocolate confections can be a confection itself. Tracing back to the Latin verb conficere (“to carry out, perform, make, bring about, collect, bring to completion”), confection entered Middle English as the word confeccioun, meaning “preparation by mixing ingredients; something prepared by mixing, such as a medicine or dish of food,” and has since taken on additional, often figurative meanings in English in the ensuing centuries, as in “the beloved musical confection ‘C is for Cookie.’”

Examples of confection in a Sentence

an assortment of delicious cakes and other confections following the main course there were assorted confections so delicious-looking as to tempt even determined dieters
Recent Examples on the Web The inside of Trailer is similarly covered in tens of millions of glass beads, but where Kitchen is a colorful confection of domesticity, Trailer is a grayscale film noir. Grace Edquist, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2024 Host Ariana DeBose was all smiles in a stained glass gown while presenters Taraji P. Henson, Cynthia Erivo and actress Danai Gurira showed up in metallic confections. Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 16 June 2024 The Big Apple, an eggy confection coated in sticky, tart, sweet, cinnamon apples, is a crowd favorite and my go-to for a more abstract take on an original pancake. Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2024 The reason for this is that hibiscus (a Greek word) refers to the plant whose roots contain the fibrous substance — which takes two years to manufacture once the plant begins to grow — from which the marshmallow confection was originally made. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 10 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for confection 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confection.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confeccioun "preparation by mixing ingredients, something prepared by mixing, as a medicine or dish of food," borrowed from Anglo-French confectiun, confeccion, borrowed from Medieval Latin confectiōn-, confectiō, going back to Latin, "making ready for use, preparation," from conficere "to carry out, perform, make, bring about, collect, bring to completion" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at confect

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of confection was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near confection

Cite this Entry

“Confection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confection. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

confection

noun
con·​fec·​tion kən-ˈfek-shən How to pronounce confection (audio)
: a fancy dish or sweet
Etymology

Middle English confectioun "mixture, candy," from early French confection "mixture," derived from Latin conficere "to prepare," from con-, com- "together" and -ficere, from facere "to make, do" — related to fashion

Medical Definition

confection

noun
con·​fec·​tion kən-ˈfek-shən How to pronounce confection (audio)
: a medicinal preparation usually made with sugar, syrup, or honey

called also electuary

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