volontiers

Forms

volontiers^[1] Old French voluntiers (late 10th century) and volentiers (1050); the present spelling dates from the 13th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French voluntiers, inherited from Latin voluntāriē (“voluntarily, of one's own accord”), an adverb recorded from the 2nd–3rd century (Arnobius), with the adverbial ⟨-s⟩ added before the first French texts.^[4][5][2] The Latin adverb comes from voluntārius (“voluntary”), from voluntās (“will”).^[3][6]

The common Old French type volentiers arose by dissimilation of the two /o/ vowels; the dialect variant veluntiers shows the same change.^[4][7] The modern form is a remaking of it after volonté: the TLFi and Rey call it etymological and date it to the 13th century, Bloch and Wartburg to about the 16th.^[4][2][5] Littré took the word for an old plural, a case form of the Latin adjective in the plural.^[8]

Cognate with Old Occitan volentier, Catalan volenters and Italian volentieri.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Léger (second half of the 10th century) has it in the sense “without reluctance, willingly”: Enviz lo fist, non voluntiers (“he did it unwillingly, not gladly”).^[4]

Semantic evolution

From “of one's own accord, gladly” the adverb came to mean “by a natural or habitual tendency” (1211), said first of things and later of people, a use that is now literary.^[2][4][6] Mal volontiers “reluctantly” is found from the late 15th century to the middle of the 17th.^[2]

In the 16th and 17th centuries it could mean “perhaps”, which by 1694 the Académie allowed only in mocking questions;^[2] in western dialects, in altered forms such as vaontier and vantier, it kept the sense “perhaps”.^[5] As a reply meaning “yes, gladly” it is recorded from 1668 (La Fontaine).^[6][2]

Timeline

• 950–1000 – Voluntiers “willingly” appears in the Vie de saint Léger.^[4][6]
• 1050 – The form volentiers is recorded.^[2]
• c. 1200 – Guiot de Provins uses it of a thing acting by its nature (iron joining a magnet).^[4]
• 1211 – The Bestiaire uses it for “habitually, as a rule”.^[6][2]
• 13th century – The spelling volontiers appears.^[2][3]
• late 15th century – Mal volontiers “reluctantly” is recorded.^[2]
• 1668 – La Fontaine uses it as a reply, “gladly”.^[6][2]
• 1694 – The Académie limits the sense “perhaps” to mocking questions.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Willingly, gladly, with pleasure: je l'aiderais volontiers.^[9][10]
2. In a reply: yes, with pleasure: Un café ? – Volontiers.^[10][4]
3. By natural tendency or habit, readily: il est volontiers bavard.^[9][10][8] Also of things: ce ruisseau déborde volontiers au printemps.^[9][10][8]

Related words

• volonté
• volontaire
• vouloir
• Latin voluntārius

Usage notes

The final ⟨s⟩ is not pronounced.^[9] Littré noted that it was sounded in liaison only in careful speech.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 613a
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert