Commonwealth definition
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.
Mr. Martin was found guilty of defrauding the Commonwealth by making false welfare claims.
Pennsylvania is an example of a commonwealth.
- the government in England under the Cromwells and Parliament from 1649 to 1660
- association of independent nations, mostly 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
Other Word Forms
Noun
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of commonwealth
- From 15th century, common (“public”) + wealth (“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."
From Wiktionary