Vocabulary in The Federalist No. 10

A group of citizens bound together by a common passion or interest who act in ways that harm the rights of other citizens or the overall good of the community.

Something that feeds or sustains another thing, the way food keeps a living creature alive. Here it means liberty is the nourishment that keeps faction alive.

A seriously foolish or unwise course of action; a decision so misguided that any reasonable person should reject it.

Feeds and sustains something, allowing it to grow and continue existing. Madison uses it to say liberty keeps faction alive the way food keeps a body alive.

Belonging to, caused by, or promoting a faction; tending to stir up division and conflict among citizens for selfish or partisan ends.

To ignite or set something alight; used here figuratively to mean stirring up strong feeling or unrest among people in a region.

A large, destructive fire; used here as a metaphor for a widespread political crisis or violent uprising that engulfs many states at once.

A form of government in which citizens choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf, rather than governing directly themselves.

A system of government in which all citizens participate directly in making laws and decisions, with no elected representatives acting on their behalf.

A group that makes up more than half of the population and uses that numerical advantage to pursue its own interests at the expense of the minority's rights.

Examined or explained thoroughly and carefully; here Madison means the idea should be fully worked out and presented, not merely mentioned in passing.

Relating to trade, commerce, and the buying and selling of goods, especially on a large or professional scale.

Loose alliances of separate, largely independent states or groups that cooperate for limited shared purposes but keep most governing power for themselves.