Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- proper noun
- /ˈkɒmənˌwɛlθ əv ˈpwɛrtoʊ ˈriːkoʊ/
:
Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico
- Residents of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens but cannot vote in presidential elections.
Examples
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The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has its own constitution and elected government.
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Is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico a state of the USA?
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Tourism is a major industry in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has its own constitution.
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The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has its own elected officials and local policies.
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Many people visit the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to enjoy its beautiful beaches.
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The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico benefits from federal programs while maintaining local governance.
Synonyms
20
3.0
An island in the Caribbean that is part of the United States
5
1.6
An island in the Caribbean that belongs to the United States
An old name for Puerto Rico, the island in the Caribbean
Surface Forms
Morphology
commonwealth + of + Puerto + Rico
The phrase is compositional and literal: 'commonwealth' denotes a political/self-governing entity and 'Puerto Rico' is the place name, so together they straightforwardly indicate the political status of Puerto Rico. This is a non-idiomatic institutional name following common patterns (e.g., 'Commonwealth of Australia'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico comes from the old idea of a 'common wealth' — a community that shares power and goods. Using the word Commonwealth showed Puerto Rico had its own local government while still tied to the United States, so the name reminds us it is 'self-governing' but 'associated' with the U.S.