com·mon·wealth
n. - The people of a nation or state; the body politic.
- A nation or state governed by the people; a republic.
- Commonwealth
- Used to refer to some U.S. states, namely, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
- Used to refer to a self-governing, autonomous political unit voluntarily associated with the United States, namely, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- often Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations.
- 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.
- Archaic. The public good; commonweal.
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