Rzeczpospolita

Rzeczpospolita (Polish pronunciation: [ʐɛt͡ʂpɔsˈpɔlʲita]) is a traditional and official name of the Polish State – Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska (Latin: Respublica Poloniae, English: Republic of Poland). It comes from the words: "rzecz" (thing) and "pospolita" (common), literally, a "common thing". In terms of etymology and meaning, the closest Latin phrase is "res publica" (res "thing", publica "public, common") and the closest English term is "commonwealth" (i.e. "common wealth", "common good"), but a more modern translation is republic (a form of governance). In Poland the word Rzeczpospolita is used exclusively in relation to the Republic of Poland, and any other republic is referred to in Polish as a republika, e.g., Italian Republic – Polish: Republika Włoska.

The term "Rzeczpospolita" has been used in Poland since the beginning of the 16th century. Originally it was a generic term to denote a state or a commonness. The famous quote by Jan Zamoyski, the Lord Chancellor of the Crown, on the importance of education, is a great example of its use:

Polish: Takie będą Rzeczypospolite, jakie ich młodzieży chowanie.
Such will be the Commonwealths as the upbringing of their youth.

The meaning of "Rzeczpospolita" is well described by the term "Commonwealth". As a result, the literal meaning of "Rzeczpospolita Polska" is "Polish Commonwealth", or "Republic of Poland". However, the connotation with the term "republic" may be somewhat misleading in the context of the Polish State within the period of the 16th to the 18th century, because Poland in that time was an elective monarchy and the "Rzeczpospolita" was reflected in the official name, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

"Rzeczpospolita" is also used in a series of symbolic names referring to three periods in the History of Poland:

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