confederation

[ kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of confederating.
2. the state of being confederated.
3. a league or alliance.

   Synonyms: federation, coalition

4. a group of confederates, especially of states more or less permanently united for common purposes.
5. the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of Confederation 1781–89.
6. (initial capital letter) the federation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, formed in 1867 and constituting the Dominion of Canada.

confederation

¹

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of confederating or the state of being confederated
2. a loose alliance of political units. The union of the Swiss cantons is the oldest surviving confederation Compare federation
3. (esp in Canada) another name for federation

Confederation

²

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the Confederation
   history the original 13 states of the United States of America constituted under the Articles of Confederation and superseded by the more formal union established in 1789
2. the federation of Canada, formed with four original provinces in 1867 and since joined by eight more

confederation

1. A group of nations or states, or a government encompassing several states or political divisions, in which the component states retain considerable independence. The members of a confederation often delegate only a few powers to the central authority.

Notes

Canada is officially a confederation of provinces.

The United States was governed as a confederation in the first few years of its independence ( see Articles of Confederation ).

Derived Forms

• conˈfederative, adjective
• conˌfederˈationist, noun
• conˌfederˈationˌism, noun

Other Words From

• con·feder·ation·ism noun
• con·feder·ation·ist noun
• anti·con·feder·ation·ism noun
• anti·con·feder·ation·ist noun adjective
• noncon·feder·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of confederation¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin confoederātiō “agreement,” from confoederāt(us) “united” (past participle of confoederāre “to unite in a league”; confederate ) + -iō -ion

Synonym Study

See alliance.

Example Sentences

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, said health services were already subject a lot of oversight and regulation - and the prospect of "more league tables" would concern health leaders.

From BBC

Graham Vidler, from the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents bus operators, tells us: "We accept that passengers face a mixed picture depending on where they live."

From BBC

The Confederation of Passenger Transport said raising the cap from £2 has avoided travellers facing a "cliff edge" at the end of this year.

From BBC

Instead it will be known as Place de l'Alliance des Etats du Sahel, after the country's new confederation with Burkina Faso and Mali.

From BBC

The Holy Roman Empire was a loose confederation of territories that existed in central Europe from 962 to 1806.

From Salon