con·fed·er·a·cy 
(kən-fĕdər-ə-sē)
(kən-fĕdər-ə-sē)n. pl. con·fed·er·a·cies
1.
a. A union of persons, parties, or states; a league.
b. The persons, parties, or states joined in such a union.
c. Confederacy The Confederate States of America.
2. A group of people who have united for unlawful practices; a conspiracy.
[Middle English confederacie, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin cōnfoederātiō, cōnfoederātiōn-, agreement, from cōnfoederātus, past participle of confoederāre, to unite; see CONFEDERATE.]