confederation
confederation n. 邦联 几个主权国家为相互支持和共同目的组成的具有中央权力机构的联盟，如美国独立战争期间的殖民政府。邦联和联邦〔federation〕不同，前者强调成员国保留各自主权，后者则强调联邦政府的最高权力。 (→confederacy)
CONFEDERATION
confederation
confederation. 1. A league or union of states or nations, each of which retains its sovereignty but also delegates some rights and powers to a central authority. • The United States, for example, was first organized under the Articles of Confederation. Cf. FEDERATION. “A confederation is a union, more or less complete, of two or