Where does “federal” come from?

Federal comes from French fédéral, which derives from Latin foederalis, meaning "of or pertaining to a league or covenant."

federal (English): Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an...

Definitions

  1. Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an...

Ancestry of “federal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfédéralfederal
2Latinfoedustreaty, agreement, contract; league; pact,...
3Proto-Italicfoiðos
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeyh₂-to fear, be afraid; to strike, hit; to hew, cut
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyh₂-