Nearby Words

Confederations

[kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn] Origin

con·fed·er·a·tion

[kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn]
noun
1.
the act of confederating.
2.
the state of being confederated.
3.
a league or alliance.
4.
a group of confederates, especially of states more or less permanently united for common purposes.
5.
the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of Confederation 1781–89.
EXPAND
6.
(initial capital letter) the federation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, formed in 1867 and constituting the Dominion of Canada.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin confoederātiōn- (stem of confoederātiō) an agreement, equivalent to confoederāt(us) confederate + -iōn- -ion

con·fed·er·a·tion·ism, noun
con·fed·er·a·tion·ist, noun
an·ti·con·fed·er·a·tion·ism, noun
an·ti·con·fed·er·a·tion·ist, noun, adjective
non·con·fed·er·a·tion, noun


3. coalition, federation. See alliance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Confederations

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Confederations is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

confederation
early 15c., "act of confederating," from Fr. confédération, from O.Fr. confederacion (14c.), from L. confoederationem, noun of action from confoederare (see confederate). Meaning "states or persons united by a league" is from 1620s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

confederation definition


A group of nations or states, or a government encompassing several states or political divisions, in which the component states retain considerable independence. The members of a confederation often delegate only a few powers to the central authority.

Note: The United States was governed as a confederation in the first few years of its independence (see Articles of Confederation).
Note: Canada is officially a confederation of provinces.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature