federal

B2 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈfɛdəɹəl/ See IPA manual

adj noun Freq #2627

Meanings

1

adj
Relating to the central national government, as opposed to state or local government.

The new rule is set by federal law, not by individual states.
2

adj
Describing a system of government in which power is shared between a central authority and several regional ones.

The United States has a federal system that divides power between Washington and the states.
3

adj
National; affecting the whole country.

They are waiting on a federal decision about funding.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · national; affecting the... national

More fed

Word family

Derived forms anti-federalfederalesefederalisationfederalisefederalismfederalistfederalizationfederalizefederallyfederalnessfederalwidefedex

Common collocations

federal government Adjective + noun

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰós Proto-Italic *feiðos Latin foedusder. French fédéralder. English federal From French fédéral, from Latin stem foeder- of foedus (“covenant, league, treaty, alliance”).

fédéral French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography Law & Government

# federal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈfɛdəɹəl
**Frequency rank:** 2627

## Meanings
1. Relating to the central national government, as opposed to state or local government.
2. Describing a system of government in which power is shared between a central authority and several regional ones.
3. National; affecting the whole country.

## Examples
- The new rule is set by federal law, not by individual states.
- The United States has a federal system that divides power between Washington and the states.
- They are waiting on a federal decision about funding.

## Synonyms
- fed

## Derived Forms
- anti-federal
- federalese
- federalisation
- federalise
- federalism
- federalist
- federalization
- federalize
- federally
- federalness
- federalwide
- fedex

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fédéral

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰós Proto-Italic *feiðos Latin foedusder. French fédéralder. English federal From French fédéral, from Latin stem foeder- of foedus (“covenant, league, treaty, alliance”).

## AI Etymology
Federal comes from French fédéral, from Latin stem foeder- of foedus (“covenant, league, treaty, alliance”). In current use, the main senses are “Relating to the central national government, as opposed to state or local government” and “Describing a system of government in which power is shared between a central authority and several regional ones”.

## Topics
- Places & Geography
- Law & Government

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