n.
Pronunciation: ' fe-d( ə -)r ə l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin foeder-, foedus compact, league; akin to Latin fidere to trust ― more at BIDE
Date: 1660
1 archaic : of or relating to a compact or treaty
2 a : formed by a compact between political units that surrender their individual sovereignty to a central authority but retain limited residuary powers of government b : of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units c : of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent units
3 capitalized : advocating or friendly to the principle of a federal government with strong centralized powers especially : of or relating to the American Federalists
4 often capitalized : of, relating to, or loyal to the federal government or the Union armies of the U.S. in the American Civil War
5 capitalized : being or belonging to a style of architecture and decoration current in the U.S. following the American Revolution
– fed · er · al · ly \ -d( ə -)r ə -l ē \ adverb