commonweal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The common good; public wellbeing or prosperity.
  2. The body politic; republic.

Pronunciation

/ˌkɒmənˈwiːl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-commonweal.wav

Word forms

commonweal commonweals common weal

Etymology

From Middle English comun wele, commen wele, comune wele, equivalent to common (“public”) + weal (“well-being”). By the 1520s used by some authors as the equivalent of res publica (republic), alongside commonwealth from about the same time.

Synonyms

Derived words

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