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Body politic founded on law for the common "weal," or good.
The term was often used by 17th-century writers to signify an organized political community, its meaning thus being similar to the modern meaning of state or nation. Today it primarily refers to the Commonwealth . Four U.S. states (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) call themselves commonwealths, a distinction in name only. Puerto Rico has been a commonwealth rather than a state since 1952; its residents, though U.S. citizens, have only a nonvoting representative in Congress and pay no federal taxes.
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[c mediumvioletred] (as used in expressions)
Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Dominica
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Co operative Commonwealth Federation
Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth of Independent States
{{link=Commonwealth of Puerto Rico">Commonwealth of Puerto Rico