Etymology

federal

fed·er·al
F4E1D2E1R1A1L1

Today it means: Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an agreement or covenant between parties, especially between nations. Full definition →

French fédéra ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Latin foedus
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰós
  3. Proto-Italic*feiðos
  4. Latinfoedus
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Frenchfédéra
  8. English todayfederal

Borrowed from French fédéral, from Latin foedus + French -al.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.