Main Entry:

com·mu·nism

Pronunciation:

\ˈkäm-yə-ˌni-zəm, -yü-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French communisme, from commun common

Date:

1840

1 a: a theory advocating elimination of private property b: a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed2capitalized a: a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics b: a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production c: a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably d: communist systems collectively