commonwealth

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A group of countries or states that share a common government or interests.

   Mozambique joined the Commonwealth in 1995.

2. 2
   noun

   A country or state, seen as a community of its people.

   Every citizen has a duty to serve the commonwealth.

3. 3
   noun

   A country governed by the people or their elected representatives; a republic.

   After the king was removed, the country became a commonwealth.

From common (“public”) + wealth (“well-being”). From c. 1450 as common wele (commonweal). In the form common-wealth (common welthe) from c. 1520, used by Tyndale in the sense "secular society" in particular, for which other authors preferred publike weal. Also from the 1520s treated as a synonym or loan-translation of res publica (republic) (Rollison 2017:67f).

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