1. (n.) 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.

2. (n.) The whole body of people in a state; the public.

3. (n.) Specifically, the form of government established on the death of Charles I., in 1649, which existed under Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, ending with the abdication of the latter in 1659.

Everyman John Doe Public absolute monarchy ally archduchy archdukedom aristocracy ashram autarchy autocracy autonomy body body politic buffer state captive nation caste chieftaincy chieftainry citizenry city-state clan class coalition government colonialism colony common man commonweal commune community community at large constituency constitutional government constitutional monarchy country county cultural community democracy dictatorship domain dominion dominion rule duarchy duchy dukedom duumvirate dwellers dyarchy earldom economic class empery empire endogamous group estate everybody everyman everyone everywoman extended family family federal government federation feudal system folk folks free city garrison state general public gens gentry gerontocracy grand duchy habitancy heteronomy hierarchy hierocracy home rule inhabitants kingdom kinship group land limited monarchy linguistic community mandant mandate mandated territory mandatee mandatory martial law men meritocracy militarism military government mob rule mobocracy moiety monarchy nation nationality neocolonialism nuclear family ochlocracy oligarchy order pantisocracy patriarchate patriarchy people people at large people in general persons phratria phratry phyle police state polis polity populace population possession power principality principate protectorate province public puppet government puppet regime pure democracy realm regency representative democracy representative government republic satellite self-determination self-government seneschalty settlement social class social democracy society sovereign nation speech community state stratocracy subcaste sultanate superpower technocracy territory thearchy theocracy toparchia toparchy totalitarian government totalitarian regime totem triarchy triumvirate tyranny welfare state whole people world you and me