federal
[ fed-er-uh l ]
/ ˈfɛd ər əl /
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.
Origin of federal
OTHER WORDS FROM federal
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH federal
federal nationalWords nearby federal
British Dictionary definitions for federal government (1 of 3)
Federal Government
noun
the national government of a federated state, such as that of Australia located in Canberra
British Dictionary definitions for federal government (2 of 3)
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
British Dictionary definitions for federal government (3 of 3)
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