commonwealth
Use Commonwealth in a sentence
ənˌwɛlθ 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.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English commun welthe
1375–1425; late Middle English commun welthe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To commonwealth
00:10
Commonwealth
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
commonwealth (ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 (ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Official name: the Commonwealth of Nations 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 |
| 2. | a. the republic that existed in Britain from 1649 to 1660 |
| b. 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 |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Commonwealth definition
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.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences from the web
Also he criticized religious doctrines on rationalistic grounds in the commonwealth.
He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the commonwealth.
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