Federal

  • from Latin foedus for "league or covenant"
    • league = a collection of people, groups or governments for some common purpose
    • covenant = an founding agreement
  • thereby "federal" means "a league of states"
    • and the "federal government" is the central body (government) that governs those states as a whole
      • but only insofar as they share or yield powers to that central ("federal") government
      • states do not share or yield all their powers with the federal government
      • = "shared sovereignties"