commonty
(ˈkɒməntɪ)
Forms: 4–5 comunete, comounte(e, -ynte(e, 4–6 -onte, 5 -ontee, -unte, -ownte, -ente, -entie, (comnaunte, couenaunte), 5–6 comontie, commontye, -entye, 6 comontye, -enty, commente, -ti, -tie, -ty, commonte, -tie, 6–7 Sc. commounty, -tie, 7 comonty, 7– commonty.
[a. OF. comuneté (comm-): —L. commūnitāt-em common fellowship, society, n. of state f. commūn-is common, social, etc.; in med.L. and Romanic extended to the notion of ‘common citizenship’, and a ‘community’ or ‘body of fellow-citizens’. The OF. form has in Eng. diverged in two directions: first, associated with the adj. common in all its varieties, it assumed this trisyllabic form: secondly it remained of 4 syllables, and was assimilated to the original L. type as community, q.v.]
† 1. The body of the common people, commonalty, commons. Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Acts xvii. 5 Takinge of the comune [v.r. comynte, 1388 comyn puple] summe yuele men. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 115 Þe comounte [plebem] of Rome. 1474 Caxton Chesse 91 The thynges of the comunete. 1483 ― Gold. Leg. 323/3 Grete oppressions and Importable charges among the comonte. a 1553 Udall Royster D. v. vi. (Arb.) 86 The nobilitie..With all the whole commontie. 1559 Sackville Mirr. Mag., Compl. Dk. Buckhm. 61 Let no prince put trust in commontie. 1600 Heywood 1st Pt. Edw. IV, Wks. 1874 I. 69 The King wants money, and would haue some of his commonty. |
† 2. A community; a commonwealth. Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 350 Ellis þe comynte wolde not stonde. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xvi. 87 Euery kingdom or comounte dyvidid in him silf schal be destruyed. 1496 Dives & Paup. (W. de W.) v. xxii. 226/2 Euery man is a parte of the comonte. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxl. 167 To kepe y⊇ commentie of Flanders in frendshyppe. |
† 3. ‘Community, common possession’ (Jam.).
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 5212 With hem holdyng comunte Of alle her goode in charite. 1606 Sc. Acts Jas. VI, c. 2 All common Kirks, perteining of auld to the saids Bishoppes, and their chapter in commountie. |
4. Commonage, common of pasture, etc. (see common n. 6). Sc.
| 1540 Sc. Acts Jas. V (1814) 379 (Jam.) With..commounty in the saidis muris, myris and mossis. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xii, Their huts, kail-yards, and rights of commonty. 1849 Blackw. Mag. LXVI. 660 The agricultural labourer..had, moreover, rights of pasturage and commonty..which have long ago disappeared. |
5. Land held in common; ‘a common’. Sc.
| 1600 Sc. Acts Jas. VI, c. 5 Diverse persons, hes riven out..great portions of the samine commonties, without any right. 1754 Erskine Princ. Sc. Law (1809) 321 Commonty..in our law language, and in charters, frequently signifies a heath or moor. 1806 Forsyth Beauties Scotl. III. 158 Strathaven..possessed an extensive commonty, all of which has long since been converted into private property. 1874 Act 37 & 38 Vict. c. 94 §35 A decree of division of commonty or of common property or runrig lands. 1883 Scotsman 23 July 5/7 The commonty of Harray has all been divided between the heritors. |
† 6. The liberties of a borough; ‘jurisdiction or territory’ (Jam.). Sc. Obs.
| c 1575 Sir J. Balfour Practicks 54 (Jam.) Gif he wes takin within the commountie of the burgh. |
† 7. commonty (commenti) fire: app. the name given in the 16th c. (at Cambridge) to a fire provided at the common expense of the fellows of a college in the room of one of them, and to the social meeting round this fire after dinner: the origin of the later commonfire-room, common-room, or combination-room (see the latter).
| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden Soc.) 4 After dinner and supper, at commenti fiers..I continuid as long as ani, and was as fellowli as the best. Ibid. 5 At a commenti fier in M. Jacksuns chamber this last year. |
¶ Humorously, as a blunder for comedy.
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. Induct. ii. 140. |