confidant

What it means

1. A person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets: a friend.

   'Of course'—implied the loyal manager, and 'Oh, of course; not a word,' assented his confidant.

   1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries

   3 more examples

   Heaven made you love me for no other end, / But to become my confidant and friend: / As such, I keep no secret from your sight, […]

   1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe, William Miller, published 1808, page 223

   One in thought and purpose, linked by the necessity of combating one hostile fate, a power antagonistic ever, — a power we lived to evade, — we had no confidants save ourselves.

   1895, Kenneth Graham, The Golden Age, London, page 5

   Bankman-Fried’s confidants were along for the ride. At his side was Caroline Ellison, Alameda’s CEO and his on-again, off-again lover.

   2023 September 30, Victoria Bekiempis, “‘Dark’ donations, free love and the fall: the Sam Bankman-Fried trial is here”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 05 Jan 2024

In a sentence

Heaven made you love me for no other end, / But to become my confidant and friend: / As such, I keep no secret from your sight, […]

1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe, William Miller, published 1808, page 223

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
3. Proto-Italic*kom
4. Proto-Italic*kom-
5. Latincon-
6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰ-
7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéydʰeti
8. Proto-Italic*feiðō
9. Latinfīdō
10. Latincōnfīdō
11. Latincōnfīdentem
12. Italianconfidente
13. Frenchconfident
14. Englishconfidant

Borrowed from French confident.