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the Commonwealth of Nations

Variant of commonwealth

commonwealth definition

common·wealth (-welt̸h′)

noun

  1. the people of a nation or state; body politic
    1. a nation or state in which there is self-government; democracy or republic
    2. a federation of states [the Commonwealth of Australia]: Commonwealth is also the official designation of Puerto Rico, in its special status under the U.S. government
  3. ☆ loosely any state of the U.S.; strictly, Ky., Mass., Pa., or Va., which were so designated in their first constitutions
  4. a group of people united by common interests
  5. Obsolete the general welfare; commonweal

Etymology: ME commun welthe: see common & wealth

commonwealth Idioms

the Commonwealth

  1. the government in England under the Cromwells and Parliament from 1649 to 1660
  2. association of independent nations (53 in September, 2004), all former components of the British Empire, united for purposes of consultation and mutual assistance: all members acknowledge the British sovereign as symbolic head of the association
    in full the Commonwealth of Nations

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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