What does Commonwealth mean?
Definitions for Commonwealth
ˈkɒm ənˌwɛlθcom·mon·wealth
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Commonwealth.
Princeton's WordNet
commonwealthnoun
the official name of some states in the United States (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and Virginia and Kentucky) and associated territories (Puerto Rico)
state, nation, country, land, commonwealth, res publica, body politicnoun
a politically organized body of people under a single government
"the state has elected a new president"; "African nations"; "students who had come to the nation's capitol"; "the country's largest manufacturer"; "an industrialized land"
commonwealthnoun
a world organization of autonomous states that are united in allegiance to a central power but are not subordinate to it or to one another
democracy, republic, commonwealthnoun
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
Wiktionary
commonwealthnoun
A form of government, named for the concept that everything that is not owned by specific individuals or groups is owned collectively by everyone in the governmental unit, as opposed to a state, where the state itself owns such things.
commonwealthnoun
Approximately, a republic.
May 19, 1649 Be it declared and enacted by this present Parliament and by the Authoritie of the same That the People of England and of all the Dominions and Territoryes thereunto belonging are and shall be and are hereby constituted, made, established, and confirmed to be a Commonwealth and free State And shall from henceforth be Governed as a Commonwealth and Free State by the supreame Authoritie of this Nation, the Representatives of the People in Parliam[ent] and by such as they shall appoint and constitute as Officers and Ministers under them for the good of the People and that without any King or House of Lords. Act of the Long Parliament.
Commonwealthnoun
The Commonwealth of Nations, a loose confederation of nations based around the former British Empire.
Commonwealthnoun
Australia, the Commonwealth of Australia,
Mr. Martin was found guilty of defrauding the Commonwealth by making false welfare claims.
Commonwealthnoun
Kentucky, the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
Commonwealthnoun
Massachusetts, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Commonwealthnoun
Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
Commonwealthnoun
Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia,
Etymology: Originally "common-wealt" or "common weal". From 15th century, a compound of common (in the sense "public") and wealth (in the old sense "well-being"). Expanded in the 17th century to mean "a state in which the supreme power is vested in the people; a republic or democratic state." (OED)
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Commonweal, Commonwealthnoun
Etymology: from common and weal, or wealth.
Two foundations bear up publick societies; the one inclination, whereby all men desire sociable life; the other an order agreed upon, touching the manner of their union in living together: the latter is that which we call the law of a commonweal. Richard Hooker.
It was impossible to make a commonweal in Ireland, without settling of all the estates and possessions throughout the kingdom. John Davies, on Ireland.
A continual parliament would but keep the commonweal in tune, by preserving laws in their vigour. Charles I .
There is no body in the commonwealth of learning who does not profess himself a lover of truth. John Locke.
Such a prince,
So kind a father of the commonweal. William Shakespeare, Henry IV.Their sons are well tutored by you: you are a good member of the commonwealth. William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour Lost.
Did he, or do yet any of them, imagine
The gods would sleep to such a Stygian practice,
Against that commonwealth which they have founded. Johnson.Commonwealths were nothing more, in their original, but free cities; though sometimes, by force of orders and discipline, they have extended themselves into mighty dominions. William Temple.
Wikipedia
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth or the common wealth – echoed in the modern synonym "public wealth"), it comes from the old meaning of "wealth", which is "well-being", and is itself a loose translation of the Latin res publica (republic). The term literally meant "common well-being". In the 17th century, the definition of "commonwealth" expanded from its original sense of "public welfare" or "commonweal" to mean "a state in which the supreme power is vested in the people; a republic or democratic state".The term evolved to become a title to a number of political entities. Three countries – Australia, the Bahamas, and Dominica – have the official title "Commonwealth", as do four U.S. states and two U.S. territories. Since the early 20th century, the term has been used to name some fraternal associations of states, most notably the Commonwealth of Nations, an organisation primarily of former territories of the British Empire. The organisation is not to be confused with the realms of the Commonwealth.
ChatGPT
commonwealth
A commonwealth is a political community or unit that is founded for the common good. It is often used to refer to a self-governing, autonomous political entity or administrative division under a federal government. This can be a state, territory, or nation that opts to be part of a larger federation while maintaining its independence. Notably, the term "commonwealth" also refers to an association of sovereign nations, such as the Commonwealth of Nations, composed of countries that were formerly territories of the British Empire.
Webster Dictionary
Commonwealthnoun
a state; a body politic consisting of a certain number of men, united, by compact or tacit agreement, under one form of government and system of laws
Commonwealthnoun
the whole body of people in a state; the public
Commonwealthnoun
specifically, the form of government established on the death of Charles I., in 1649, which existed under Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, ending with the abdication of the latter in 1659
Wikidata
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic". More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations. Most notably, the Commonwealth of Nations, an association primarily of former members of the British Empire, is often referred to as simply "the Commonwealth".
Suggested Resources
commonwealth
Song lyrics by commonwealth -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by commonwealth on the Lyrics.com website.
Etymology and Origins
Commonwealth
In theatrical parlance, a sharing out of the proceeds of the week’s performances after all expenses have been deducted. This generally happens when the manager has decamped with the entire takings, and left his company stranded.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Commonwealth' in Nouns Frequency: #2043
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Commonwealth in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Commonwealth in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of Commonwealth in a Sentence
We are thrilled with the decision of the commonwealth court and my client cried tears of joy when she heard the news, i think when you read the opinion it is clear that the property should never have been sold.
I stand in solidarity with all those in Pittsburgh and across the commonwealth looking to make their communities safer, we simply can not accept this kind of violence as a normal part of American life, and now we can't wait any longer.
The people of Virginia have not forgotten. They are not stupid. They are not fooled, they are not being hoodwinked, terry … you said [Northam] was in blackface. He's got to go. Have you changed your mind about any of this? And if not, then why not? Now, explain to the people of the commonwealth.
It's great that Joe Biden is coming to Pittsburgh to talk about infrastructure. If infrastructure is Elvis, then Pittsburgh is Graceland, it's great to come to the city that helped build America to talk about rebuilding America. I'll be in Harrisburg on Friday meeting with Democrats from across the commonwealth at State Committee and talking about the 2022 midterm election.
Glenn Youngkin victory showcases the Commonwealth's desire to elect a public servant instead of a political servant, what we have seen is the importance of family values and parental rights in our education system. VIRGINIA PARENTS TO Terry McAuliffe : OUR CONCERNS ARE N'T JUST A ‘ DIVISIVE ’ YOUNGKIN CAMPAIGN TACTIC.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for Commonwealth
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- كومنولثArabic
- StaatenbundGerman
- κοινοπολιτείαGreek
- komunumoEsperanto
- comunidad, mancomunidadSpanish
- richesse commune, communautéFrench
- קהילייהHebrew
- nemzetközösségHungarian
- persemakmuranIndonesian
- 連邦, コモンウェルスJapanese
- សហធនKhmer
- 공화국, 연방Korean
- civitas, respublicaLatin
- komanwelMalay
- gemenebestDutch
- SamveldetNorwegian
- comunidadePortuguese
- содружество, союзRussian
- 聯邦Chinese
Get even more translations for Commonwealth »
Translation
Find a translation for the Commonwealth definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Commonwealth." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Commonwealth>.
Discuss these Commonwealth definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In