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intr.v. com·muned, com·mun·ing, com·munes 1. To be in a state of intimate, heightened sensitivity and receptivity, as with one's surroundings: hikers communing with nature. 2. To receive the Eucharist. [Middle English comunen, to have common dealings with, converse, from Old French communer, to make common, share (from commun, common; see COMMON) and perhaps from Old French communier, to share in the Communion (from Late Latin commūnicāre, from Latin, to communicate; see COMMUNICATE).] com·muner n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. 1. a. A relatively small, often rural community whose members share common interests, work, and income and often own property collectively. b. The people in such a community. 2. The smallest local political division of various European countries, governed by a mayor and municipal council. 3. a. A local community organized with a government for promoting local interests. b. A municipal corporation in the Middle Ages. 4. often Commune a. The revolutionary group that controlled the government of Paris from 1789 to 1794. b. The insurrectionary, socialist government that controlled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. [French, independent municipality, from Old French comugne, from Medieval Latin commūnia, community, from neuter of Latin commūnis, common; see mei-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
