federalese

F4E1D2E1R1A1L1E1S1E1

noun

The bureaucratic jargon of federal government.

OriginEnglish federal ← French fédéra ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounfederalese (uncountable)
  1. derogatoryuncountableThe bureaucratic jargon of federal government.

Origin

  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. Englishfederal
  9. Englishfederalese

From federal + -ese.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

federalese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/federalese

MLA

“federalese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/federalese. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “federalese,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/federalese.

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