federal
UK[ˈfedərəl]US[ˈfedərəl]
adj
relating to a system of government in which several states or regions unite under a central authority while retaining some independent powers.
adj
relating to the central government of a federation, as opposed to the governments of its member states.
Morpheme Breakdown
feder
al
feder
league
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word federal traces its lineage to the latin noun 'foedus', meaning a formal covenant, treaty, or league. this concept of a binding agreement between parties is the foundational idea behind a political federation. the latin root evolved into the late latin 'foederalis', which entered english via french in the 17th century. the suffix '-al' was added to form an adjective, thus 'federal' literally means 'pertaining to or based on a league or covenant', which perfectly captures the essence of a union of states bound by a constitutional agreement.
Analysis
Structure: feder (league) + al (adjective suffix)
feder originates from latin 'foedus' (treaty, league, alliance). al is a latin-derived suffix forming adjectives meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by'.
Examples
the federal government is responsible for national defense and foreign policy.
switzerland is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons.
the case was moved from state to federal court.