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

Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe officially announced a comeback bid yesterday, citing a need “to think big and act bold” and his plan to raise teacher pay in the commonwealth above the national average.

From Washington Post

“I am running for governor again to think big, and to be bold, and to take the commonwealth of Virginia to the next level — and to lift up all Virginians,” he said at a Richmond elementary school, a location meant to signal a commitment to education.

From Washington Post

I am running for governor again to think big and to be bold and take the commonwealth of Virginia to the next level and lift up all Virginians.

From Washington Blade

Only the Lee statue was owned by the state, and an 1889 deed required the commonwealth to protect the memorial forever.

From Washington Post

“That’s twice the rate of the rest of the commonwealth, and that quite frankly is troubling,” Northam said.

From Washington Post

Another bombshell: There is no statute of limitations on rape in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

From The Daily Beast

Swarms of police, gunfire, panic—all foreign to a city known for its quaint, Commonwealth style, still air, and orderliness.

From The Daily Beast

For years there were no pre-qualifications for an attorney to handle capital cases in the commonwealth.

From The Daily Beast

His first novel, Red Earth and Pouring Rain (1995), won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for best first book.

From The Daily Beast

Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley ruled that the law “unreasonably burdens” the right to vote.

From The Daily Beast

Dockier, a prominent leader of the Levelers, in the times of the English commonwealth, was shot by order of the government.

From Project Gutenberg

All must work for the state; only in a socialist commonwealth can social justice be found.

From Project Gutenberg

His book is in cold reality nothing but a series of conversations explaining how a socialist commonwealth is supposed to work.

From Project Gutenberg

Or turn from the gray officials to the purple citizens of the soap bubble commonwealth of socialism.

From Project Gutenberg

In a population of angels a socialistic commonwealth would work to perfection.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• federation
• society