Rzeczpospolita

is the official name of Poland and a traditional name for some of its predecessor states. It is a compound of the terms "thing, matter" and "common", a calque of Latin rés pública ( "thing" + "public, common"), i.e. republic, in English also rendered as commonwealth (historic) and republic (current). In modern Polish, the word is used exclusively in relation to the Republic of Poland, while any other republic is referred to in Polish as a , e.g., Italian Republic – . Origins The term has been used in Poland since the beginning of the 16th century. It was adapted for Poland, as it at that time had a unique republican system, similar to the former Roman . The famous quote by Jan Zamoyski, the Lord Chancellor of the Crown, on the importance of education is an example of its use: The meaning of is well described by the term commonwealth. As a result, the literal meaning of is "Polish Commonwealth", or "Republic of Poland". Although the first was an elective monarchy, the king had no real power, as most of the state affairs were regulated by the parliament and senate, known as the Sejm.