communism

• Communism

A borrowing from French communisme, which was formed from commun (“common”) (from Latin commūnis) and the suffix -isme (“-ism”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈkɒm.ju.nɪ.zm̩]
• (US) IPA^(key): [ˈkɑ.mju.nɪ.zm̩], [ˈkɑ.mjə.nɪ.zm̩]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): [ˈkɔm.jə.nɪ.zm̩]

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communism (countable and uncountable, plural communisms)

1. Any far-left political ideology or philosophy advocating holding the production of resources collectively, especially by seizing it through revolution.

   Synonym: (dated, rare) aspheterism

   • 1932, D. H. Lawrence, The Letters of D.H. Lawrence, Edited by A. Huxley‎, page 219:

     I want to gather together about twenty souls and sail away from this world of war and squalor and found a little colony where there shall be no money but a sort of communism as far as necessaries of life go, and some real decency.

2. Any political social system that implements a communist political philosophy.
3. The international socialist society where classes, money, and the state no longer exist.

• See also the definitions of Communism.

• "communism" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 73.