confederacy

[kuhn-fed-er-uh-see, -fed-ruh-see]

noun

plural

confederacies 

1. an alliance between persons, parties, states, etc., for some purpose.

2. a group of persons, parties, states, etc., united by such a confederacy.

3. a combination of persons for unlawful purposes; conspiracy.

4. the Confederacy. Confederate States of America.

Confederacy

¹

/ -ˈfɛdrəsɪ, kənˈfɛdərəsɪ /

noun

1. another name for Confederate States of America

confederacy

²

/ -ˈfɛdrəsɪ, kənˈfɛdərəsɪ /

noun

1. a union or combination of peoples, states, etc; alliance; league

2. a combination of groups or individuals for unlawful purposes

Confederacy

1. The Confederate States of America; the government formed in 1861 by southern states that proclaimed their secession from the United States. Jefferson Davis was its president. The Confederacy was dissolved after the Civil War. (Compare Union.)

Other Word Forms

• confederal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Confederacy¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English confederacie, from Anglo-French, equivalent to Late Latin confoederāt(us) “united” (past participle of confoederāre “to unite in a league”; confederate ) + -ia -y ³ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Confederacy¹

C14: from Anglo-French confederacie, from Late Latin confoederātiō agreement, _{confederation}

Example Sentences

Filmmaker Kevin Willmott put it another way in The Nation: “The Confederacy has gobbled up the Union…The entire nation is capitulating to the new Confederate States of America.”

From Salon

The second round of the Industrial Revolution was on the horizon, the Confederacy was on its last legs, and the first Juneteenth celebration was born.

From Los Angeles Times

But in 2019, I found myself in Montgomery, Alabama, the first capital of the Confederacy.

From Salon

The Confederacy convinced millions of poor white men — most of whom never owned slaves — that they had to fight and die for the interests of the plantation elite.

From Salon

But historian Connor Williams, who served on the renaming committee that had recommended the name Bragg be removed in 2021, said that honouring the Confederacy is misguided.

From BBC