states' rights
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (2)
- a doctrine that federal powers should be curtailed and returned to the individual statesType of doctrine, philosophyKinds nullification
- the rights conceded to the states by the United States constitutionType of right
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
State rights, States' rights
the rights of the several independent States, as distinguished from the rights of the Federal government. It has been a question as to what rights have been vested in the general government. U.S.
From the entry State.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54