Voluntary
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.) 1.
Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of
choice.
That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary
action is the true principle of orthodoxy. N. W.
Taylor.
2. 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 ones self,
or of itself; free.
Our voluntary service he requires.
Milton.
She fell to lust a voluntary prey.
Pope.
3. 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.
4. (Physiol.) 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.
5. Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a
voluntary agent.
God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary,
agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did
outwardly proceed from him. Hooker.
6. (Law) Free; without compulsion; according
to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration;
gratuitous; without valuable consideration.
7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism;
as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state
church.
Voluntary affidavit or oath
(Law), an affidavit or oath made in 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.; pl.Voluntaries (?). 1. One who
engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. (R.)
Shak.
2. (Mus.) A piece played by a musician,
often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo
played before, during, or after divine service.
3. (Eccl.) One who advocates
voluntaryism.
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