noun

• (historical) The Confederate States of America, the collection of American states that seceded from the United States in 1860–61, and fought against the Union in the American Civil War.
• An alliance.
• (politics) 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.