Federals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe government entities or officials associated with a federation or national government
2. Referring to citizens or supporters of a federal system emphasizing central authority over regional divisions
3. Denoting forces or troops that represent a federal government, especially in historical contexts relating to the United States Civil War

Etymology: The noun "federals" is simply the plural of "federal," and the surprise lies in how the word's meaning split away from its root. Latin "foedus" meant a treaty or compact, a formal agreement between parties, and it is the same root that gave English "foedus"-derived words like "federation." A federal arrangement, in its original sense, is one built on such a pact, with separate parts agreeing to join under a common authority. The English adjective "federal" was borrowed from French "fédéral," itself formed from Latin "foedus" with the French suffix "-al," which marks a relationship to the base. The noun plural you are asking about developed from that adjective in the political sense, so its core idea remains contractual union rather than central domination. Because the root means "agreement," the political meaning you describe, emphasizing central authority, is a later narrowing of a term that once centred on partnership between units.

Synonyms: nationals, government, centralists, unionists

Antonyms: confederates, secessionists