To shake his ears, and graze in commons.
Shak.
Doctors' Commons, a place near St. Paul's Churchyard in London where the doctors of civil law used to common together, and where were the ecclesiastical and admiralty courts and offices having jurisdiction of marriage licenses, divorces, registration of wills, etc. -- To be on short commons, to have a small allowance of food. [Colloq.]
Com"mon sense" (?). See Common sense, under Sense.
Com"mon*ty (?), n. (Scots Law) A common; a piece of land in which two or more persons have a common right. Bell.
Com"mon*weal" (?), n. [Common + weal.] Commonwealth.
Such a prince,
So kind a father of the commonweal.
Shak.
Com"mon*wealth` (?; 277), n. [Common + wealth well-being.] 1. A state; a body politic consisting of a certain number of men, united, by compact or tacit agreement, under one form of government and system of laws.
The trappings of a monarchy would set up an ordinary commonwealth.
Milton.
&fist; This term is applied to governments which are considered as free or popular, but rarely, or improperly, to an absolute government. The word signifies, strictly, the common well-being or happiness; and hence, a form of government in which the general welfare is regarded rather than the welfare of any class.