Weal; Commonweal; Commonwealth; Wealth

WEAL

Weal has, since the dawn of English, referred to well-being. It’s most often used in the phrase “common weal” to refer to the general good—that is, to the happiness, health, and safety of everyone in a community or nation.

 A closed form of this phrase, commonweal, has since the 14th century carried the same meaning, but it once also referred to an organized political entity, such as a nation or state. This job (among others) is now done by the word’s close relation, commonwealth.
 
At one time, weal and wealth were synonyms; both meant “riches” (as in “all their worldly weal”) and “well-being.” Both words stem from wela, the Old English word for “well-being,” and are closely related to the Old English word for “well.”


1
archaic : commonwealth
2
: the general welfare


COMMONWEALTH

1

a nation, state, or other political unit: such as

 

a

one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement for the common good

 

b

one in which supreme authority is vested in the people

 

c

republic

2

a state of the U.S. —used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

3

often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the U.S

 

 

used officially of Puerto Rico and of the Northern Mariana Islands

4

often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown

5

capitalized

 

a

the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660

 

b

protectorate sense 1b

6

capitalized : a federal union of constituent states —used officially of Australia

7

archaic : commonweal sense 2 the general welfare

 



WEALTH

1

 

: abundance of valuable material possessions or resources

2

 

: abundant supply : profusion

3

a

all property that has a money value or an exchangeable value

 

b

all material objects that have economic utility especially : the stock of useful goods having economic value in existence at any one time national wealth

4

 

obsolete : weal, welfare