pro-confederationist
|pro-con-fed-er-a-tion-ist|
🇺🇸
/proʊkənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃənɪst/
🇬🇧
/prəʊkənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃənɪst/
for union by treaty
Etymology
'pro-confederationist' originates as a compound of the prefix 'pro-' (from Latin 'pro' meaning 'for'), the noun 'confederation' (from Latin 'confoederatio' via Old French 'confédération'), and the agent suffix '-ist' (from Greek/Latin '-istes'/'-ista'), where 'pro-' meant 'for' and Latin 'foedus' meant 'treaty' or 'league'.
'confederation' changed from Latin 'confoederatio' and Old French 'confédération' into Middle English forms such as 'confederacioun' and eventually the modern English 'confederation'; the suffix '-ist' was later added to form 'confederationist', and the prefix 'pro-' was attached to indicate support, yielding 'pro-confederationist'.
Initially, 'confederation' meant 'a joining by treaty' (a pact or league); over time it came to mean 'a union of states or groups, often a looser union than a federation'. The compound 'pro-confederationist' now specifically denotes a person who favors such a union.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who supports the formation or maintenance of a confederation — i.e., someone in favor of a political union of states or groups bound by treaty or agreement.
The pro-confederationist argued that a loose union of states would better preserve local autonomy.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/22 10:59