commonwealth

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com·mon·wealth

(kŏm′ən-wĕlth′)

1. The people of a nation or state; the body politic.

2. A nation or state governed by the people; a republic.

3. Commonwealth

a. Used to refer to some US states, namely, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

b. Used to refer to a self-governing, autonomous political unit voluntarily associated with the United States, namely, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.

4. often Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations.

5. The English state and government from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, including the Protectorate of 1653 to 1659.

6. Archaic The public good; commonweal.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

commonwealth

(ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ)

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the people of a state or nation viewed politically; body politic

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a state or nation in which the people possess sovereignty; republic

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) 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)

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) 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 name: the Commonwealth of Nations

2. (Historical Terms)

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. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the official designation of Australia, four states of the US (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and Puerto Rico

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

com•mon•wealth

(ˈkɒm ənˌwɛlθ)

n.

1. the people of a nation or state; the body politic.

2. a state in which the supreme power is held by the people; a republican or democratic state.

3. (cap.) a group of sovereign states and their dependencies associated by their own choice and linked with common objectives and interests.

4. the Commonwealth, Commonwealth of Nations.

5. (cap.) a federation of states: the Commonwealth of Australia.

6. (cap.) a self-governing territory associated with the U.S.: official designation of Puerto Rico.

7. (cap.) 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.

8. (cap.) the official designation of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

9. any group of persons united by some common interest.

10. Obs. the public welfare.

[1375–1425]

Commonwealth

the body of the public constituting a state or community; a body united for some special interest and common benefit.

Examples: commonwealth of all Christendom, 1551; of angels, 1608; of learning; The British Commonwealth of Nations; The Commonwealth [English history 1649—1660].

Commonwealth

1649–60 A republican state in England between the execution of Charles I and the restoration of Charles II.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	commonwealth - the official name of some states in the United States (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and Virginia and Kentucky) and associated territories (Puerto Rico) province, state - the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation; "his state is in the deep south"
	2.	commonwealth - 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" body politic, country, nation, res publica, state, land commonwealth country - any of the countries in the British Commonwealth developing country - a country that is poor and whose citizens are mostly agricultural workers but that wants to become more advanced socially and economically Dominion - one of the self-governing nations in the British Commonwealth estate of the realm, the three estates, estate - a major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country (especially in the United Kingdom) and formerly possessing distinct political rights foreign country - any state of which one is not a citizen; "working in a foreign country takes a bit of getting used to" Reich - the German state renegade state, rogue nation, rogue state - a state that does not respect other states in its international actions suzerain - a state exercising a degree of dominion over a dependent state especially in its foreign affairs sea power - a nation that possesses formidable naval strength great power, major power, superpower, world power, power - a state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world city state, city-state - a state consisting of a sovereign city ally - a friendly nation political entity, political unit - a unit with political responsibilities
	3.	commonwealth - 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 British Commonwealth, Commonwealth of Nations - an association of nations consisting of the United Kingdom and several former British colonies that are now sovereign states but still pay allegiance to the British Crown global organization, international organisation, international organization, world organisation, world organization - an international alliance involving many different countries
	4.	commonwealth - a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them republic, democracy Weimar Republic - the German republic founded at Weimar in 1919; "The Weimar Republic was overthrown in 1933 and replaced by the Third Reich" parliamentary democracy - a democracy having a parliament form of government, political system - the members of a social organization who are in power

Translations

republikaspolečenství

statsforbundstatssamfund

Gemeinwesen Staatenbund

commonwealth

nemzetközösség

samveldi

confederazione

federacijasandrauga

federācijavalstu savienība

samvelde

uluslar topluluğu

联邦

Commonwealth

[ˈkɒmənwelθ] N the Commonwealth → la Comunidad Británica de Naciones (Brit) (Hist) → la república de Cromwell
the Commonwealth of Independent States → la Comunidad de Estados Independientes
the Commonwealth of Kentucky → el estado de Kentucky
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico → el estado de Puerto Rico

COMMONWEALTH

La Commonwealth (Comunidad Británica de Naciones) es una asociación de estados soberanos, la mayoría de los cuales eran colonias británicas en el pasado, establecida para fomentar el comercio y los lazos de amistad entre ellos. Actualmente se compone de más de cincuenta estados miembros, entre los cuales se encuentran el Reino Unido, Australia, Canadá, la India, Jamaica, Kenia, Nueva Zelanda, Nigeria, Pakistán y Sudáfrica. Los países miembros reconocen al soberano británico como Head of the Commonwealth y se reúnen anualmente para debatir asuntos políticos y económicos. Además, cada cuatro años uno de los países miembros es el anfitrión de la competición deportiva conocida como Commonwealth Games.

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Commonwealth

[ˈkɒmənwɛlθ] n
the Commonwealth (British) → le Commonwealth

commonwealth

[ˈkɒmənwɛlθ] n [nations] → communauté f Commonwealth of Australia, Commonwealth of Independent StatesCommonwealth of Australia n → Commonwealth m d'AustralieCommonwealth of Independent States n → Communauté f des États indépendants

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

commonwealth

→ Staat m, → Gemeinwesen nt; (US) Bezeichnung für die US-Bundesstaaten Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania und Virginia; the Commonwealth of Australia → der Australische Bund; the (British) Commonwealth, the Commonwealth of Nations → das Commonwealth; Commonwealth of Independent States → Gemeinschaft f → Unabhängiger Staaten

(Hist) the Commonwealth die englische Republik unter Cromwell

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Commonwealth

[ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ] n the Commonwealth → il Commonwealth

commonwealth

(ˈkomənwelθ) noun

an association of states who have joined together for their common good. the Commonwealth of Australia.

References in classic literature ?

for it is possible that the citizens may have their wives, and children, and goods in common, as in Plato's Commonwealth; for in that Socrates affirms that all these particulars ought to be so.

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He said, "Though the law did not positively allow the destroying such base-born children, yet it held them to be the children of nobody; that the Church considered them as the children of nobody; and that at the best, they ought to be brought up to the lowest and vilest offices of the commonwealth."

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The same man, stimulated by private pique against the MEGARENSIANS,[2] another nation of Greece, or to avoid a prosecution with which he was threatened as an accomplice of a supposed theft of the statuary Phidias,[3] or to get rid of the accusations prepared to be brought against him for dissipating the funds of the state in the purchase of popularity,[4] or from a combination of all these causes, was the primitive author of that famous and fatal war, distinguished in the Grecian annals by the name of the PELOPONNESIAN war; which, after various vicissitudes, intermissions, and renewals, terminated in the ruin of the Athenian commonwealth.

Hannibal had carried her arms into the heart of Italy and to the gates of Rome, before Scipio, in turn, gave him an overthrow in the territories of Carthage, and made a conquest of the commonwealth.

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However, I made a note of the remark, and calculated to educate the commonwealth up to it if I pulled through.

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At once would be instituted a dozen cooperative commonwealth states.

The expropriators are expropriated." And as fast as capitalistic governments crashed, cooperative commonwealths arose in their place.

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For commonwealths, and good governments, do nourish virtue grown but do not much mend the deeds.

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The second matter of relevance for Chogms was the great deal of alignment work done by the Commonwealth with United Nations efforts on the recalibrated Millennium Development Goals, work for example on climate change and on small states.

The future of the Commonwealth: Sir Anand Satyanand reviews the relevance of the unique, respected world-wide organisation to New Zealand

Families and fans, across the home nations, the Commonwealth and the world will once again lend their worldfamous support to the Commonwealth's finest athletes in an inspiring and inclusive festival of sport, community and culture.

PERFECT HOST; COMMONWEALTH GAMES: WHY BRUM WILL BE THE... With the clock already beginning the countdown to the Commonwealth Games being hosted by Birmingham in 2022, its Federation Chief Executive Officer DAVID GREVEMBERG writes exclusively for the Birmingham Mail

According to the commonwealth rules, a secretary-general can serve a maximum of two four-year terms.

Patricia Scotland appointed as secretary-general of Commonwealth

The accolade could mean the city hosting major meetings of Commonwealth heads of state and trade delegations to the "Northern Powerhouse".

City sets its sights on Commonwealth status

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