■ adjective
1》 having or relating to a system of government in which several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs.
2》 relating to or denoting the central government as distinguished from the separate units constituting a federation.
↘( Federal ) US historical of the Northern States in the Civil War.
Derivatives
~ism noun
~ist noun & adjective
~ization or ~isation noun
~ize or ~ise verb
~ly adverb
Origin
C17: from L. foedus , foeder- 'league, covenant' + -al .