— confederationism , n. — confederationist , n.
/keuhn fed'euh ray"sheuhn/ , n.
1. the act of confederating.
2. the state of being confederated.
3. a league or alliance.
4. a group of confederates, esp. 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.
6. ( cap. ) the federation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, formed in 1867 and constituting the Dominion of Canada.
[ 1375-1425; late ME confoederation- (s. of confoederatio ) an agreement, equiv. to confoederat ( us ) CONFEDERATE + -ion- -ION ]
Syn. 3. coalition, federation. See alliance .