defederalize

D2E1F4E1D2E1R1A1L1I1Z10E1

verb

To remove from federal government.

OriginEnglish federalize ← French fédéra ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? →
Scrabble 26
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Meanings

verbdefederalize (third-person singular simple present defederalizes, present participle defederalizing, simple past and past participle defederalized)

present singular third person defederalizes · participle present defederalizing · participle past defederalized · past defederalized

  1. transitiveTo remove from federal government.

    The Reagan strategy to defederalize American health care consisted of three general lines of attack that, if fully accepted and implemented, would indeed have shriveled the involvement of the central government in the system.

    1989, Ray C. Rist, Policy Issues for The 1990's, page 126

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Englishde-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰ-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰós
  9. Proto-Italic*feiðos
  10. Latinfoedus
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  13. Frenchfédéra
  14. Englishfederal
  15. Englishfederalize
  16. Englishdefederalize

From de- + federalize.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

defederalize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defederalize

MLA

“defederalize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defederalize. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defederalize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defederalize.

Source: defederalize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.