commonwealth

(noun) the official name of some states in the United States (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and Virginia and Kentucky) and associated territories (Puerto Rico).

(noun) a politically organized body of people under a single government. Synonyms: state, nation, country, land, res publica, body politic. Examples: "The state has elected a new president." "African nations." "Students who had come to the nation's capitol." "The country's largest manufacturer." "An industrialized land."

(noun) 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.

(noun) a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them. Synonyms: democracy, republic.