Voluntary

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: vol=un=tar=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

Voluntary, a. [L. voluntarius, fr. voluntas will, choice, from the root of velle to will, p. pr. volens; akin to E. will: cf. F. volontaire, Of. also voluntaire. See Will, v. t., and cf. Benevolent, Volition, Volunteer.].

•  Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice.  [1913 Webster]

  "That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy."  [1913 Webster]
•  Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one's self, or of itself; free.  [1913 Webster]

  "Our voluntary service he requires."  [1913 Webster]

  "She fell to lust a voluntary prey."  [1913 Webster]
•  Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as, if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.  [1913 Webster]
•  Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion.  [1913 Webster]
•  Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent.  [1913 Webster]

  "God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary, agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him."  [1913 Webster]
•  Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration.  [1913 Webster]
•  Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church.  [1913 Webster]

Voluntary affidavit or Voluntary oath (Law), an affidavit or oath made in an extrajudicial matter. -- Voluntary conveyance (Law), a conveyance without valuable consideration. -- Voluntary escape (Law), the escape of a prisoner by the express consent of the sheriff. -- Voluntary jurisdiction. (Eng. Eccl. Law) See Contentious jurisdiction, under Contentious. -- Voluntary waste. (Law) See Waste, n., 4.

Syn. -- See Spontaneous.

Voluntary, n. 

•  One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo played before, during, or after divine service.  [1913 Webster]
•  One who advocates voluntaryism.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Voluntary, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 done, acting, or able to act of one's own free will; not constrained or compulsory, intentional (a voluntary gift).
2 unpaid (voluntary work).
3 (of an institution) supported by voluntary contributions.
4 Brit. (of a school) built by a voluntary institution but maintained by a local education authority.
5 brought about, produced, etc., by voluntary action.
6 (of a movement, muscle, or limb) controlled by the will.
7 (of a confession by a criminal) not prompted by a promise or threat.
8 Law (of a conveyance or disposition) made without return in money or other consideration.
--n. (pl. -ies)
1 a an organ solo played before, during, or after a church service. b the music for this. c archaic an extempore performance esp. as a prelude to other music.
2 (in competitions) a special performance left to the performer's choice.
3 hist. a person who holds that the Church or schools should be independent of the State and supported by voluntary contributions.

Idiom

Voluntary Aid Detachment (in the UK) a group of organized voluntary first-aid and nursing workers. Voluntary Service Overseas a British organization promoting voluntary work in underdeveloped countries.

Derivative

voluntarily adv. voluntariness n.

Etymology

ME f. OF volontaire or L voluntarius f. voluntas will

THESAURUS

Voluntary

Vorspiel, advised, aimed, aimed at, alternative, arbitrary, autonomous, avant-propos, breakthrough, calculated, chosen, conative, concert overture, conscious, considered, contemplated, curtain raiser, deliberate, deliberated, descant, designed, discretional, discretionary, disjunctive, dramatic overture, elected, elective, envisaged, envisioned, exordium, foreword, free, free will, front matter, frontispiece, gratuitous, independent, innovation, intended, intentional, introduction, knowing, leap, meant, meditated, nonmandatory, of design, offered, operatic overture, optional, overture, planned, postulate, preamble, preface, prefix, prefixture, preliminary, prelude, premeditated, premise, presupposition, proem, proffered, projected, prolegomena, prolegomenon, prolepsis, prologue, proposed, protasis, purposed, purposeful, purposive, self-acting, self-active, self-determined, self-determining, spontaneous, studied, teleological, unasked, unbesought, unbidden, uncalled-for, uncoerced, uncompelled, unconstrained, unforced, uninfluenced, uninvited, unpressured, unprompted, unrequested, unrequired, unsolicited, unsought, vamp, verse, volitional, volunteer, willful, willing, witting

ROGET THESAURUS

Voluntary

Will

N will, volition, conation, velleity, liberum arbitrium, will and pleasure, free will, freedom, discretion, option, voluntariness, spontaneity, spontaneousness, originality, pleasure, wish, mind, desire, frame of mind, intention, predetermination, selfcontrol, determination, force of will, voluntary, volitional, willful, free, optional, discretional, discretionary, volitient, volitive, minded, prepense, intended, autocratic, unbidden &c (bid), spontaneous, original, unconstrained, voluntarily, at will, at pleasure, a volonte, a discretion, al piacere, ad libitum, ad arbitrium, as one thinks proper, as it seems good to, a beneplacito, of one's won accord, of one's own free will, proprio motu, suo motu, ex meromotu, out of one's won head, by choice, purposely, deliberately, stet pro ratione voluntas, sic volo sic jubeo, a vostro beneplacito, beneficium accipere libertatem est vendere, Deus vult, was man nicht kann meiden muss man willig leiden.

Willingness

N willingness, voluntariness, willing mind, heart, disposition, inclination, leaning, animus, frame of mind, humor, mood, vein, bent, penchant, aptitude, docility, docibleness, persuasibleness, persuasibility, pliability, geniality, cordiality, goodwill, alacrity, readiness, earnestness, forwardness, eagerness, asset, compliance, pleasure, gratuitous service, labor of love, volunteer, volunteering, willing, minded, fain, disposed, inclined, favorable, favorably- minded, favorably inclined, favorably disposed, nothing loth, in the vein, in the mood, in the humor, in the mind, ready, forward, earnest, eager, bent upon, predisposed, propense, docile, persuadable, persuasible, suasible, easily persuaded, facile, easy-going, tractable, genial, gracious, cordial, cheering, hearty, content, voluntary, gratuitous, spontaneous, unasked &c (ask), unforced, willingly, fain, freely, as lief, heart and soul, with pleasure, with all one's heart, with open arms, with good will, with right will, de bonne volonte, ex animo, con amore, heart in hand, nothing loth, without reluctance, of one's own accord, graciously, with a good grace, a la bonne heure, by all means, by all manner of means, to one's heart's content, yes.