Etymograph

English

federal

Federal comes from French fédéral, from Latin foedus ‘treaty’ + -al, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-osreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feiðos‘faithful’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoedus‘treaty’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentfédéral
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1701federal

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-osreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feiðos‘faithful’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoedus‘treaty’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentfédéral
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1701federal

Earliest quotation: 1701, Nehemiah Grew, Of Providence over Publick States: “Yet the Romans, taking them [the Carthaginians] at an…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’

confidence, confident, affidavit, abide, fidelity, defiance, fiduciary, confidant, bode, confide, foi, infidel, bide, fealty, diffident, perfidy, 27 more

through Proto-Italic *feiðos ‘faithful, reliable’

defy, 16 more

through Latin foedus ‘treaty, compact, alliance, truce, league’

confederate, 17 more

Today it means

adj Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an agreement or covenant between parties, especially between nations.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- / federal

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