fédéral

Forms

fédéral (feminine fédérale, masculine plural fédéraux, feminine plural fédérales)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned derivative, from Latin foedus (“treaty of alliance”) (genitive foederis), with the suffix -al.^[2][3][4][5] Compare Late Latin foederālis (“relating to a treaty”).^[2][3] Littré relates the Latin noun to fīdō (“to trust”);^[6] Etymonline traces it to Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to trust”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1783 in the Courrier de l'Europe, meaning “relating to a federation”.^[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Its derivatives followed during the Revolution: fédéralisme (1789, Robespierre, after an isolated use by Montesquieu), fédéraliste (1792) and fédéraliser (1793).^[4][3]

The plural noun les fédéraux named the soldiers and supporters of the Northern states in the American Civil War; the TLFi takes it from Littré (1865), while the DHLF dates it to 1883 and treats it as borrowed from English.^[2][3][6] Through a further borrowing it also names agents of the United States federal police.^[3] In the 20th century the adjective came to be used of a sporting or trade-union federation.^[8] In Canada it is opposed to provincial and in Switzerland to cantonal.^[9]

The English word federal had its political sense “formed by agreement among independent states” by 1707.^[7][2]

Timeline

• 1707 – English federal is used in the political sense.^[2][7]
• 1783 – Fédéral is recorded in the Courrier de l'Europe.^[2][4]
• 1789 – Fédéralisme is used by Robespierre.^[4]
• 1792 – Fédéraliste is recorded.^[4][3]
• 1865 – Littré records les fédéraux for the Northern soldiers of the American Civil War.^[2][8]
• 20th century – It is used of a sports or trade-union federation.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to a federation of states: un régime fédéral, un pacte fédéral.^[9][2]
2. Of a state whose constitutional powers are shared between a central government and its member states: la république fédérale.^[9][8]
3. Relating to the central government of a federal state, as opposed to the provinces in Canada or the cantons in Switzerland.^[9]
4. Relating to a sports, trade-union or other federation: une licence fédérale “a federation licence”.^[8][2]

Noun

1. (Canada) Le fédéral: the federal government.^[9]
2. (plural, historical) Les fédéraux: the soldiers and supporters of the Northern states in the American Civil War.^[2][6][8]
3. (plural) Agents of the United States federal police.^[3]

Word family

• fédéralisme
• fédéraliste
• fédéraliser

Related words

• fédération
• fédératif
• English federal

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert