voluntary

voluntary
—voluntarily /vol'euhn tair"euh lee, vol"euhn ter'-/, adv. —voluntariness, n.
/vol"euhn ter'ee/, adj., n., pl. voluntaries.
adj.
1. done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution.
2. of, pertaining to, or acting in accord with the will: voluntary cooperation.
3. of, pertaining to, or depending on voluntary action: voluntary hospitals.
4. Law.
a. acting or done without compulsion or obligation.
b. done by intention, and not by accident: voluntary manslaughter.
c. made without valuable consideration: a voluntary settlement.
5. Physiol. subject to or controlled by the will.
6. having the power of willing or choosing: a voluntary agent.
7. proceeding from a natural impulse; spontaneous: voluntary laughter.
n.
8. something done voluntarily.
9. a piece of music, frequently spontaneous and improvised, performed as a prelude to a larger work, esp. a piece of organ music performed before, during, or after an office of the church.
[1350-1400; ME < L voluntarius, equiv. to volunt(as) willingness, inclination (ult. repr. a formation with -tas -TY2 on the prp. of velle to want, wish; see WILL1, -ENT) + -arius -ARY]
Syn. 1. considered, purposeful, planned, intended, designed. See deliberate. 7. free, unforced, natural, unconstrained. VOLUNTARY, SPONTANEOUS agree in applying to something that is a natural outgrowth or natural expression arising from circumstances and conditions. VOLUNTARY implies having given previous consideration, or having exercised judgment: a voluntary confession; a voluntary movement; The offer was a voluntary one. Something that is SPONTANEOUS arises as if by itself from the nature of the circumstances or condition: spontaneous applause, combustion, expression of admiration.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • voluntary — vol·un·tary / vä lən ˌter ē/ adj 1 a: proceeding from one s own free choice or consent rather than as the result of duress, coercion, or deception a voluntary statement b: not compelled by law: done as a matter of choice or agreement voluntary… …   Law dictionary

  • Voluntary — Vol un*ta*ry, 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}.] 1. Proceeding… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Voluntary — • Wilful, proceeding from the will Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Voluntary     Voluntary     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • voluntary — vol‧un‧ta‧ry [ˈvɒləntri ǁ ˈvɑːlənteri] adjective 1. done or agreed to willingly and without being forced: • He suggested that workers take voluntary pay cuts to help the economy. • Cigar advertising on television is banned under a voluntary… …   Financial and business terms

  • voluntary — voluntary, intentional, deliberate, willful, willing can mean constituting or proceeding from an exercise of free will. Voluntary, the most widely applicable of these terms, often implies not only freedom from constraint but freedom from the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • voluntary — [väl′ən ter΄ē] adj. [ME voluntarie < L voluntarius, voluntary < voluntas, free will < volo, I wish: see VOLITION] 1. brought about by one s own free choice; given or done of one s own free will; freely chosen or undertaken 2. acting in a …   English World dictionary

  • Voluntary — (v. engl. „spontan“) bezeichnet ein Musikstück (meist für die Orgel), welches improvisiert wurde oder eine Komposition von improvisatorischem Charakter. Das Voluntary entstammt dem englischen Barock und ist in der ursprünglichen Funktion mit dem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Voluntary — may refer to:*A word meaning done, given, or acting of one s own free will , see Volunteer *Voluntary (music), a piece of music played as part of a church service …   Wikipedia

  • voluntary — ● voluntary, voluntaries nom masculin (anglais voluntary) En Angleterre, au XVIe s., court morceau d orgue improvisé avant le culte ou pièce pour clavecin. (L école des virginalistes en a laissé de nombreux exemples. Blow et Purcell l… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Voluntary — Vol un*ta*ry, n.; pl. {Voluntaries}. 1. One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. [R.] Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mus.) A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • voluntary — late 14c. (implied in voluntarily), from L. voluntarius of one s free will, from voluntas will, from the ancient accusative singular prp. of velle to wish (see WILL (Cf. will) (v.)). Originally of feelings, later also of actions (mid 15c.) …   Etymology dictionary

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