commonwealth
pronunciation
How to pronounce commonwealth in British English:
UK [ˈkɒmənwelθ]
How to pronounce commonwealth in American English:
US [ˈkɑːmənwelθ]
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- Noun:
- the official name of some states in the United States (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and Virginia and Kentucky) and associated territories (Puerto Rico)
- a politically organized body of people under a single government
- 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
- a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
Word Origin
- commonwealth
- commonwealth: see wealth
- commonwealth (n.)
- late 15c., "public welfare, general good," from common (adj.) + wealth (n.); meaning "the state" is attested from 1510s; applied specifically to the government of England in the period 1649-1660.
Example
- 1. The commonwealth ones seem to be heading for disaster .
- 2. Dominica is a parliamentary democracy within the commonwealth of nations .
- 3. Not that the commonwealth is entirely toothless .
- 4. Obama and brown address the press from the foreign commonwealth center .
- 5. Leaders at the commonwealth heads of government summit in perth were also affected .