federal
Portuguese, noun/fe.deˈɾaw/
federal is spelled F-E-D-E-R-A-L (7 letters) and appears 200 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 460th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Federal is a Portuguese feminine noun meaning “federal (a federal agent)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “servidor público que integra os quadros da instituição da União de nome Polícia Federal”.
What does federal mean in English?
adjective
- 1
femininemasculinefederal, federative (of or relating to a federation, a form of government that divides a sovereign state into smaller, local, autonomous unities such as states/provinces and municipalities/counties that are subject to a higher nationwide sphere, the federal sphere)
República Federal da Alemanha
- 2
femininemasculinefederal (of or relating to the higher sphere of a country instead of lower, local ones; often used with upper case initials in phrases like Governo Federal, Polícia Federal, Justiça Federal etc.)
No Brasil, escolas públicas são geralmente geridas pelos governos estaduais e municipais, enquanto universidades públicas costumam ser geridas pelo Governo Federal.
- 3
Brazilfeminineinformalmasculineunusually intense, strong or powerful
- 4
Brazilfemininemasculineoffensivesexually attracted to, or engaging in sexual relations with, transgender women
noun
- 1
femininemasculinefederal (a federal agent)
O caso envolveu a ação dos federais.
noun
- 1
masculinea Brazilian medicinal plant of the Asteraceae family
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. relativo a uma federação 2. enorme ou intenso, e/ou incomum
noun: 1. servidor público que integra os quadros da instituição da União de nome Polícia Federal 2. qualquer agente duma outra Polícia Federal, além da brasileira
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of federal
- federais plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce federal?
- Brazil /fe.deˈɾaw/
- Brazil [fe.deˈɾaʊ̯]
- Portugal /fɨ.dɨˈɾal/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to federal
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is federal in Portuguese?
federal appears 200 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).