commonwealth
UK[ˈkɒmənwelθ]US[ˈkɑːmənwelθ]
n
A group of countries or states that have the same political aims or interests and work together to achieve them.
n
An independent country or community, especially a democratic republic.
n
The general good or advantage of the public.
Morpheme Breakdown
common
wealth
common
shared by all, public
wealth
well-being, prosperity
Etymology
The word 'commonwealth' is a compound formed in late Middle English, directly combining 'common' and 'wealth'. 'Common' originates from Latin 'communis', meaning "shared by all or many, public," which itself derives from a hypothesized Proto-Indo-European root ko-moin-i-, conveying a sense of shared responsibility. 'Wealth' comes from Old English 'weal', meaning "well-being" or "welfare," related to the word 'weal' (as in the common weal) and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root wel- meaning "to wish, will." Thus, the literal construction "common well-being" evolved from its early sense of "the public good" or "general welfare" to denote a political community founded for this shared good, and later to specific forms of republican government or associations of states.
Analysis
Structure: common + wealth
- common (Latin: communis, via Old French comun; meaning "shared by all, public")
- wealth (Old English: weal, from Proto-Germanic welō; meaning "well-being, prosperity")
Examples
The British Commonwealth is an association of sovereign states.
The island declared itself a commonwealth.
He worked for the commonwealth of his fellow citizens.