confederacy

Meaning

Noun

• An alliance.
• A state where the sovereign constituent units delegate their authority to the centre. As opposed to a federation, where the central and regional governments are each equal and sovereign in their own sphere.
• Specifically, an instance of a decentralized governing structure among the indigenous peoples of North America.

Origin

• From Middle English confederacie, from Anglo-Norman confederacie, from Latin cōnfoederātiō. confederation.