Where does “voluntarily” come from?
Voluntarily derives from English voluntary plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly, tracing through Middle English -ly and Old English -līċ to Latin voluntarius, meaning "of one's own will," itself from Latin -arius and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots.
voluntarily (English): In a voluntary manner
Definitions
- In a voluntary manner
Ancestry of “voluntarily”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | voluntary | Done, given, or acting of one's own free will;... |
| 2 | Middle English | voluntarie | — |
| 3 | Old French | volontaire | — |
| 4 | Latin | voluntārius | volunteer |
| 5 | Latin | voluntās | will, free will, choice |
| 6 | Latin | velle | present active infinitive of volō; wish, intend;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | welō | to want, will |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | welh₁- | to choose; to want |