a system of means and activities whereby a social institution functions; "the complex machinery of negotiation"; "the machinery of command labored and brought forth an order"
a newly established colony (especially in the colonization of North America); "the practice of sending convicted criminals to serve on the Plantations was common in the 17th century"
an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas)
the official act of consigning a person to confinement (as in a prison or mental hospital)
the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action; "his long commitment to public service"; "they felt no loyalty to a losing team"
an engagement by contract involving financial obligation; "his business commitments took him to London"
a member of the Union Army during the American Civil War
national; especially in reference to the government of the United States as distinct from that of its member units; "the Federal Bureau of Investigation"; "federal courts"; "the federal highway program"; "federal property"
characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is divided between one central and several regional authorities; "a federal system like that of the United States"; "federal governments often evolved out of confederations"
of or relating to the central government of a federation; "a federal district is one set aside as the seat of the national government"