Meaning

noun a group of people living in a particular local area

noun common ownership

noun a group of nations having common interests

originFrom Late Middle English communite, borrowed from Old French communité, comunité, comunete (modern French communauté), from Classical Latin commūnitās (“community; public spirit”), from commūn(is) (“common, ordinary; of or for the community, public”) + -itās. By surface analysis, commun(e) + -ity. Displaced native Old English ġemǣnsċipe. Doublet of communitas.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0