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volunteer

Etymology and origin of the English word volunteer

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1600
Borrowed from
Middle French voluntaire
Ultimate origin
Latin (voluntas)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌvɒl(ə)nˈtɪə/ (UK); /ˌvɑlənˈtɪ(ə)ɹ/, /ˌvɒlənˈtɪɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French voluntaire (“a volunteer; voluntary”),[2][3][4] from Latin voluntārius (“voluntary, of one's free will”), in the plural meaning volunteers,[3][5] from voluntas (“will”) (see voluntary).[2][4] The ending was changed to -eer.[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who freely enrols for military service: about 1600,[2][3][4] before 1618 in the OED.[7]

Semantic evolution

A member of a military force raised by voluntary enrolment is from 1642.[7] The general sense, one who offers his services in any capacity, is from 1638,[2][7] and a plant growing from self-sown seed by the 1650s.[3] The verb, to enlist as a soldier, is first recorded in Johnson's Dictionary of 1755;[2][7] to offer something of one's own free will, such as information, is by 1800.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1600 – a military volunteer.[2][3]
  • 1638 – one who serves of his own will.[2][7]
  • 1650s – a self-sown plant.[3]
  • 1755 – the verb, in Johnson.[2][7]
  • 1800 – to offer freely.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who does a task or service of his or her own free will, often without pay.
  2. A person who freely joins the military.
  3. (law) A person who receives property without giving consideration.
  4. A plant growing from self-sown seed.

Verb

  1. To offer oneself or one's services freely.
  2. To give or tell something without being asked: volunteer information.

Word family

  • volunteerism
  • voluntarism
  • voluntary
  • volition
  • benevolent

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Volunteer.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/volunteer. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·