Rzeczpospolita

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Rzeczpospolita (pronounced [ʐɛt͡ʂpɔs'pɔlita] ^ⓘ) is the official name of Poland and a traditional name for some of its predecessor states. It is a compound of the terms rzecz "thing, matter" and pospolita "common", a calque of Latin rés pública (rés "thing" + pública "public, common"), i.e. republic, in English also rendered as commonwealth (historic) and republic (current).

In modern Polish, the word rzeczpospolita is used exclusively in relation to the Republic of Poland, while any other republic is referred to in Polish as a republika (e.g. Italian Republic – Republika Włoska).