voluntary

Definition

Done, given, or acting of one's own free will.

Etymology

From Middle English voluntarie, from Old French volontaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, of free will”), from voluntās (“will, choice, desire”), from volēns, present participle of volo (“to will”). Displaced native Old English selfwille (literally “self-willed”).

Example Sentences

• "September 10, 1828, Nathaniel William Taylor, Sermon delivered in the Chapel of Yale College That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy."
• "She fell, to lust a voluntary prey."
• "If a man accidentally kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter."