federal
[ fed-er-uhl ]
/ ˈfɛd ər əl /
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adjective
noun
an advocate of federation or federalism.
(initial capital letter)U.S. History.
- a Federalist.
- an adherent of the Union government during the Civil War; Unionist.
- a soldier in the Federal army.
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Origin of federal
First recorded in16205–30; earlier foederal, from Latin foeder- (stem of foedus ) “formal agreement, treaty, league” + -al1
historical usage of federal
English federal comes from the Latin noun foedus (stem foeder- ) “a formal agreement between states, peoples, or private persons, a league, treaty (of alliance or peace), a marriage compact.” Foedus is related to the Latin verb fīdere “to trust, trust in, have confidence in,” the adjective fīdus “faithful loyal” (Abraham Lincoln owned a dog named Fido), and the noun fidēs “trust, state of being trusted.” Latin fidēs is the ultimate source of English words such as fidelity, fealty, infidel, and faith.
The earliest use of federal had to do with a treaty or covenant, especially a covenant between God and an individual. The meaning “relating to a union of states under a central government” appeared in 1703, probably arising from the contextual meaning of the term federal union —in other words, a union based on a treaty. Soon after American independence, federal was used to refer specifically to the national government of the United States.
The earliest use of federal had to do with a treaty or covenant, especially a covenant between God and an individual. The meaning “relating to a union of states under a central government” appeared in 1703, probably arising from the contextual meaning of the term federal union —in other words, a union based on a treaty. Soon after American independence, federal was used to refer specifically to the national government of the United States.
OTHER WORDS FROM federal
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH federal
federal , nationalDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use federal in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for federal (1 of 2)
federal
/ (ˈfɛdərəl) /
adjective
of or relating to a form of government or a country in which power is divided between one central and several regional governments
of or relating to a treaty between provinces, states, etc, that establishes a political unit in which power is so divided
of or relating to the central government of a federation
of or relating to any union or association of parties or groups that retain some autonomy
(of a university) comprised of relatively independent colleges
noun
a supporter of federal union or federation
Derived forms of federal
federally, adverbWord Origin for federal
C17: from Latin foedus league
British Dictionary definitions for federal (2 of 2)
Federal
/ (ˈfɛdərəl) /
adjective
- of or relating to the Federalist party or Federalism
- characteristic of or supporting the Union government during the American Civil War
noun
- a supporter of the Union government during the American Civil War
- a Federalist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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