commonwealth

[ kom-uhn-welth ]

noun

1. (initial capital letter) a group of sovereign states and their dependencies associated by their own choice and linked with common objectives and interests:

   the British Commonwealth.

2. the Commonwealth. Commonwealth of Nations.
3. (initial capital letter) a federation of states:

   the Commonwealth of Australia.

4. (initial capital letter) a self-governing territory associated with the U.S.: official designation of Puerto Rico.
5. (initial capital letter) English History. the English government from the abolition of the monarchy in 1649 until the establishment of the Protectorate in 1653, sometimes extended to include the restoration of Charles II in 1660.
6. (initial capital letter) the official designation (rather than “State”) of four states of the U.S.: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
7. any group of persons united by some common interest.
8. the whole body of people of a nation or state; the body politic.
9. a state in which the supreme power is held by the people; a republican or democratic state.
10. Obsolete. the public welfare.

Commonwealth

¹

/ ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ /

noun

1. an association of sovereign states, almost all of which were at some time dependencies of the UK. All member states recognize the reigning British sovereign as Head of the Commonwealth Official namethe Commonwealth of Nations
2. 1. the republic that existed in Britain from 1649 to 1660
   2. the part of this period up to 1653, when Cromwell became Protector
3. the official designation of Australia, four states of the US (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and Puerto Rico

commonwealth

²

/ ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ /

noun

1. the people of a state or nation viewed politically; body politic
2. a state or nation in which the people possess sovereignty; republic
3. the body politic organized for the general good
4. a group of persons united by some common interest
5. obsolete.
   the general good; public welfare

Commonwealth

1. A government established in Britain and Ireland in 1649, after the execution of King Charles I. It was in the form of a republic , under the leadership of the parliament . Oliver Cromwell soon assumed the supreme power in the Commonwealth and was given the title Lord Protector. After Cromwell's death in 1658, the Commonwealth quickly lost power, and the Restoration of the monarchy followed in 1660.

Word History and Origins

Origin of commonwealth¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English commun welthe; equivalent to common ( def ) + wealth ( def )

Example Sentences

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told the BBC: "We are providing support to a British girl and her family following an accident in Turkey."

From BBC

"In fact she wrote two autobiographies herself so the story is out there but although she was known completely throughout the Commonwealth she is hardly known today which is sad."

From BBC

They lie in neat rows of Commonwealth war graves in both the Roman Catholic church cemetery and the Church of Ireland cemetery in Irvinestown.

From BBC

That is reflected in the 2024 numbers: As of Tuesday morning, nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians had voted by mail out of more than 2.1 million people who had requested a ballot, about a third of them Republicans, according to the Pennsylvania secretary of state — a drop from the 2.6 million who voted by mail four years ago, when less than a quarter of such votes came from Republicans and President Joe Biden carried the commonwealth by just more than 80,000 votes.

From Salon

That these electors would lack legal standing — Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is the only person who can legally certify the commonwealth's electors — may not be an obstacle in an increasingly politicized judiciary.

From Salon

Related Words

• federation
• society