commune

[verb kuh-myoon; noun kom-yoon]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR commune ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), com·muned, com·mun·ing.

to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.

to be in intimate communication or rapport: to commune with nature.

noun

interchange of ideas or sentiments.

Origin of commune

1250–1300; Middle English com(m)unen < Middle French comuner to share, derivative of comun common

Related formscom·mun·er, noun

commune

[kuh-myoon]

verb (used without object), com·muned, com·mun·ing.

to partake of the Eucharist.

Origin of commune

1275–1325; Middle English; back formation from communion

commune

[kom-yoon]

noun

a small group of persons living together, sharing possessions, work, income, etc., and often pursuing unconventional lifestyles.

a close-knit community of people who share common interests.

the smallest administrative division in France, Italy, Switzerland, etc., governed by a mayor assisted by a municipal council.

a similar division in some other country.

any community organized for the protection and promotion of local interests, and subordinate to the state.

the government or citizens of a commune.

people's commune.

the Commune. Also called Commune of Paris, Paris Commune.

a revolutionary committee that took the place of the municipality of Paris in the revolution of 1789, usurped the authority of the state, and was suppressed by the National Convention in 1794.
a socialistic government of Paris from March 18 to May 27, 1871.

Origin of commune

1785–95; < French < Medieval Latin commūna (feminine), alteration of Latin commūne community, state, orig. neuter of commūnis common

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for commune

kibbutz, municipality, cooperative, village, commonality, neighborhood, family, collective, community, commonage, ponder, parley, converse, mediate, muse, confer, reflect, contemplate, discourse, discuss

Examples from the Web for commune

Contemporary Examples of commune

Even if there were cows, they belonged to the commune and no one was allowed to slaughter them or consume them.
An Oral History of Mao’s Greatest Crime
Zhou Xun
November 24, 2013
“I grew up in a very special family, on a commune, and I loved it,” he says.
Denmark Has a Riveting New Drama Starring Mads Mikkelsen
Marlow Stern
July 14, 2013
Today's commune members strive to reconcile communal responsibility with individual ambitions and aspirations.
The Kibbutz Movement’s Lessons For Communal Living Today
Daniel Gavron
May 7, 2013
“I went there to study F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, and I moved in next door to a commune of heroin addicts,” Lawford says.
Christopher Kennedy Lawford, Patrick Kennedy Talk Addiction, New Book
Lloyd Grove
January 9, 2013
“Our commune is the best ark for surviving disasters,” she said.
Russians Prepare for World’s End, Buy Candles and Vodka
Anna Nemtsova
December 11, 2012

Historical Examples of commune

The abominable and shameful peace had been signed, the wretched Commune crushed.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
The war of 1870, the Commune, were but three years behind them.
A Writer's Recollections (In Two Volumes), Volume I
Mrs. Humphry Ward
"The candle-sticks were looted during the Commune," he began hurriedly.
The Education of Eric Lane
Stephen McKenna
If a peasant of Marosfalva had it it would do good to the commune.
A Bride of the Plains
Baroness Emmuska Orczy
When from the ‘commune of air,’ from ‘the exquisite fabric of Silence,’
The Battle of the Bays
Owen Seaman

British Dictionary definitions for commune

commune

verb (kəˈmjuːn) (intr usually foll by with)

to talk or converse intimately

to experience strong emotion or spiritual feelings (for)to commune with nature

noun (ˈkɒmjuːn)

intimate conversation; exchange of thoughts; communion

Word Origin for commune

C13: from Old French comuner to hold in common, from comun common

commune

verb

(intr) Christianity, mainly US to partake of Communion

Word Origin for commune

C16: back formation from communion

commune

noun

a group of families or individuals living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities

any small group of people having common interests or responsibilities

the smallest administrative unit in Belgium, France, Italy, and Switzerland, governed by a mayor and council

the government or inhabitants of a commune

a medieval town enjoying a large degree of autonomy

Word Origin for commune

C18: from French, from Medieval Latin commūnia, from Latin: things held in common, from commūnis common

Commune

noun French history

See Paris Commune

a committee that governed Paris during the French Revolution and played a leading role in the Reign of Terror: suppressed 1794

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for commune

c.1300, "have dealings with," from Old French comuner "to make common, share" (10c., Modern French communier), from comun (see common (adj.)). Meaning "to talk intimately" is late 14c. Related: Communed; communing.

1792, from French commune "small territorial divisions set up after the Revolution," from Middle French commune "free city, group of citizens" (12c.), from Medieval Latin communia, noun use of neuter plural of Latin adjective communis, literally "that which is common," from communis (see common (adj.)). The Commune of Paris usurped the government during the Reign of Terror. The word later was applied to a government on communalistic principles set up in Paris in 1871. Adherents of the 1871 government were Communards.