Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “voluntaire” come from?

voluntaire (Middle French) comes from Old French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius, from Latin voluntās, from Latin velle, from Proto-Italic welō, from Proto-Indo-European welh₁- — to choose; to want.

voluntaire (Middle French): willingly; voluntary; of one's own accord

Definitions

  1. willingly; voluntary; of one's own accord

Ancestry of “voluntaire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchvoluntaire—
2Latinvoluntārius—
3Latinvoluntās—
4Latinvellepresent active infinitive of volō; wish, intend;...
5Proto-Italicwelōto want, will
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₁-to choose; to want

Words derived from “voluntaire”

  • volunteer
  • volunteering
  • volunteerism
  • volunteeristic
  • nonvolunteering
  • волонтёр
  • involontaire
  • volontaire
  • involontairement
  • volontariat
  • volontairement
  • aveuglement volontaire
  • volontarisme
  • Volontär
  • voluntar
  • voluntia
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welh₁- →