Voluntary : adj
1: of your own free will or design; not forced or compelled;
"man is a voluntary agent"; "participation was
voluntary"; "voluntary manslaughter"; "voluntary
generosity in times of disaster"; "voluntary social
workers"; "a voluntary confession" [ant: involuntary]
2: controlled by individual volition; "voluntary motions";
"voluntary muscles" [ant: involuntary]
(noun)
1: (military) a person who freely enlists for service [syn: volunteer,
military volunteer] [ant: draftee]
2: composition (often improvised) for a solo instrument
(especially solo organ) and not a regular part of a
service or performance
Based on WordNet 2.0
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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.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Voluntary : \Vol"un*ta*ry\, 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.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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VOLUNTARY. Willingly; done with one's consent; negligently. Wolff, Sec. 5.
2. To render an act criminal or tortious it must be voluntary. If a
man, therefore, kill another without a will on his part, while engaged in
the performance of a lawful act, and having taken proper care to prevent it,
he is not guilty of any crime. And if he commit an injury to the person or
property of another, he is not liable for damages, unless the act has been
Voluntary : or through negligence, as when a collision takes place between two
ships without any fault in either. 2 Dobs. R. 83 3 Hagg. Adm. R. 320, 414.
3. When the crime or injury happens in the performance of an unlawful
act, the party will be considered as having acted voluntarily.
4. A negligent escape permitted by an officer having the custody of a
prisoner will be presumed as voluntary; under a declaration or count
charging the escape to have been voluntary, the party will, therefore, be
allowed to give a negligent escape in evidence. 1 Saund. 35, n. 1. So Will.
Based on Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [Bouvier_Law_Dictionary]:
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Voluntary : Voluntary: Done in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The opposite of involuntary.
The terms "voluntary" and "involuntary" apply to the human nervous system and its control over muscles. The nervous system is divided into two parts -- somatic and autonomic. The somatic nervous
system operates muscles that are under voluntary control. The autonomic (automatic or visceral) nervous system regulates individual organ function and is involuntary. Opening the mouth is voluntary
while blushing is involuntary.
Based on Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [Bouvier_Law_Dictionary]:
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