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 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 one's 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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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