federal

[ fed-er-uhl ]
See synonyms for federal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states, as in federal government; federal system.

  2. of, relating to, or noting such a central government: federal offices.

  1. (initial capital letter)U.S. History.

    • of or relating to the Federalists or to the Federalist party.

    • supporting the principles of the Federalist party.

    • (in the Civil War) pertaining to or supporting the Union government.

    • relating to or adhering to the support of the Constitution.

  2. (initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the styles of the decorative arts and architecture current in the U.S. from about 1780 to about 1830.

  3. of or relating to a compact or a league, especially a league between nations or states.

noun
  1. an advocate of federation or federalism.

  2. (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.

Origin of federal

1
First recorded in16205–30; earlier foederal, from Latin foeder- (stem of foedus ) “formal agreement, treaty, league” + -al1

word story For 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.

Other words from federal

  • fed·er·al·ly, adverb
  • fed·er·al·ness, noun
  • non·fed·er·al, adjective
  • qua·si-fed·er·al, adjective
  • qua·si-fed·er·al·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with federal

Words Nearby federal

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How to use federal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for federal (1 of 2)

federal

/ (ˈfɛdərəl) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to a form of government or a country in which power is divided between one central and several regional governments

  2. of or relating to a treaty between provinces, states, etc, that establishes a political unit in which power is so divided

  1. of or relating to the central government of a federation

  2. of or relating to any union or association of parties or groups that retain some autonomy

  3. (of a university) comprised of relatively independent colleges

noun
  1. a supporter of federal union or federation

Origin of federal

1
C17: from Latin foedus league

Derived forms of federal

  • federally, adverb

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

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