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Colony vs Commonwealth - What's the difference?

commonwealth | colony |

As nouns the difference between commonwealth and colony

is that commonwealth is a form of government, named for the concept that everything that is not owned by specific individuals or groups is owned collectively by everyone in the governmental unit, as opposed to a state, where the state itself owns such things while colony is a settlement of emigrants who move to a new place, but remain culturally tied to their original place of origin.

As a proper noun Commonwealth

is the Commonwealth of Nations, a loose confederation of nations based around the former British Empire.

commonwealth

Noun

(en noun)
  • A form of government, named for the concept that everything that is not owned by specific individuals or groups is owned collectively by everyone in the governmental unit, as opposed to a state , where the state itself owns such things.
  • Approximately, a republic.
  • May 19, 1649' ''Be it declared and enacted by this present Parliament and by the Authoritie of the same That the People of England and of all the Dominions and Territoryes thereunto belonging are and shall be and are hereby constituted, made, established, and confirmed to be a '''Commonwealth''' and free State]] And shall from henceforth be Governed as a '''Commonwealth and Free State by the supreame Authoritie of this Nation, the Representatives of the People in Parliam[ent] and by such as they shall appoint and constitute as Officers and Ministers under them for the good of the People and that without any King or House of Lords. [[s:An Act declaring England to be a Commonwealth, Act of the Long Parliament.

    Derived terms

    For example, the official name of Australia is Commonwealth of Australia'. It is applied to four states of the United States, to wit, the '''Commonwealth of Pennsylvania''', the '''Commonwealth of Kentucky''', the '''Commonwealth of Massachusetts''', and the '''Commonwealth of Virginia'''. Also used by self-governing, semi-autonomous units such as the ' Commonwealth of Puerto Rico .

    colony

    English

    Noun

    (colonies)
  • A settlement of emigrants who move to a new place, but remain culturally tied to their original place of origin
  • Region or governmental unit created by another country and generally ruled by another country.
  • * Bermuda is a crown colony of Great Britain .
  • A group of people with the same interests or ethnic origin concentrated in a particular geographic area
  • * The in Iowa were settled by people from Germany
  • A group of organisms of same or different species living together in close association.
  • * ant colony
  • * The Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), also known as the bluebubble, bluebottle or the man-of-war, is commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a siphonophore — a colony of specialized polyps and medusoids. Wikipedia article on (w, Portuguese Man o' War)
  • A collective noun for rabbits.
  • Derived terms

    * colonial (adj., n.) * colonialism (n.) * colonise, colonize * colonist (n.) * colonyhood (n.) * Cologne (city, n.) * penal colony * space colony