commonwealthman means someone who lived under the English Commonwealth of the 17th century, especially an adherent of it; loosely, a republican. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why “commonwealthman” is a great word
COMMONWEALTHMAN — [Noun] A person who lived under or supported the English Commonwealth of the 17th century, or more broadly, an adherent of republican principles. From commonwealth (from common, "public" + wealth, "well-being, prosperity") + man. Unlike a "royalist," who anchored order in a single, sacred person, or a "republican," a broader, timeless designation, the commonwealthman was a creature of that specific, fervent interlude—the scent of ink on a treasonous pamphlet, the chill of a January dawn outside the Banqueting House, and the stubborn ghost of an idea haunting coffeehouses long after the monarchy was restored. He is the specter of a public prosperity that dared to live without a king.
Etymology
From commonwealth + man.
noun
- Someone who lived under the English Commonwealth of the 17th century, especially an adherent of it; loosely, a republican.“Other radicals looked for inspiration to England again – though, interestingly, neither to Voltaire's commercial nor Montesquieu's constitutional paragon, but rather to the seventeenth-century Commonwealthmen.”