fédération

Forms

fédération f (plural fédérations)^[1] 16th-century foederation, with the Latin spelling.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin foederātiō (“alliance”), formed on foederātum, the supine of foederō (“to unite by a treaty”).^[3][4][5][2] The verb is related to foedus (“treaty”), whose stem gave fédéral.^[4] Wiktionary notes that it can also be analysed as fédérer with a suffix.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the 14th century, in the Chronique de Flandre, meaning an association of several states or bodies into one.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the Latin sense “alliance, union” but was rare until the 18th century.^[4][5][6] Like the rest of its family it was taken up again at the end of the 18th century, for the movement that rose in the provinces in 1789 towards national unity, and for the associations of national guards behind it;^[4][3] the fête de la Fédération was held on 14 July 1790.^[4] The Académie admitted the word in 1798.^[6]

In 1871 it named the grouping of the Paris national guards.^[4] In the 19th century it took the general sense of an association of societies or unions under a common authority,^[4] and in politics it means a federal state made of member states that keep part of their sovereignty, a sense long used as a synonym of confédération.^[7][3]

Timeline

• 14th century – First record, in the Chronique de Flandre.^[3]
• 16th century – Foederation appears in a collection of customary law.^[2]
• 1789 – Used for the associations of national guards of the Revolution.^[3]
• 1790 – The fête de la Fédération is held on 14 July.^[4]
• 1798 – Admitted by the Académie.^[6]
• 1871 – Names the grouping of the Paris national guards.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A union of several states in one federal state: la Fédération de Russie.^[7][3][5]
2. An association of unions, clubs or societies under a common body: une fédération sportive.^[5][4][8]
3. (history) The movement of the provinces towards national unity in 1789, and each of the associations of national guards behind it.^[7][2]
4. (history) The volunteers enrolled by Napoleon during the Hundred Days, and in 1871 the revolutionary grouping of the Paris national guards.^[7][2]

Related words

• fédérer
• fédéral
• fédéré
• confédération
• Latin foedus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)