Where does “voluntary” come from?
Voluntary comes from Middle English voluntarie, from Old French volontaire, from Latin voluntarius, derived from Latin velle meaning "to wish," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH-.
voluntary (English): Done, given, or acting of one's own free will;...
Definitions
- Done, given, or acting of one's own free will;...
Ancestry of “voluntary”, step by step
voluntary traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English voluntarie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | voluntarie | — |
| 2 | Old French | volontaire | — |
| 3 | Latin | voluntārius | volunteer |
| 4 | Latin | voluntās | will, free will, choice |
| 5 | Latin | velle | present active infinitive of volō; wish, intend;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | welō | to want, will |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | welh₁- | to choose; to want |
via Latin involontarius
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | involontarius | — |