volo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈwɔ.ɫoː], [ˈwɔ.ɫɔ]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvɔː.lo]^[1]

Forms

volō (present infinitive velle, perfect active voluī, future active participle volitūrus); irregular conjugation, suppletive, no passive, no supine stem except in the future active participle, no imperative, no gerund^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *welō, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, want”).^[2][1] Before back vowels /el/ became /ol/ (volō, volunt), while front vowels kept /e/ (velle, velim).^[2] The conjunction vel “or” preserves the old second person singular *wel-si “you want”, and the form vīs comes from a different root, *weiH- “to pursue”.^[2] Cognate with Umbrian veltu (“let him choose”), Sanskrit वृणीते (vṛṇīté, “chooses”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wiljan, “to want”) and English will.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Livius Andronicus.^[2] Ennius writes that the idle mind “does not know what it wants”.^[3] Köbler dates Livius Andronicus 280/260–before 200 BC and Ennius 204–169 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to want or wish for something, to want a person present, to wish to do something, and also to be willing or ready to do it.^[3] Colloquial Latin used it in many formulas: quid vīs? “what do you want?”, numquid mē vīs? “is there anything else?” when taking leave, sī vīs “if you please”, and velim nōlim “whether I like it or not”.^[3] Vellem expressed an unfulfilled wish, “I wish that ...”.^[3] Said of an authority it meant to will or ordain, as in velītis iubeātis, the opening of a proposal put to the assembly.^[3] Bene velle meant to wish someone well, and of things it meant to require.^[3]

Its negated and contracted forms are nōlō “to be unwilling” and mālō “to prefer”.^[3] Medieval Latin volitiō gave English volition in the 1610s, and voluntārius gave English voluntary in the late 14th century.^[5] The verb survives in Italian volere, Catalan voler and Romanian vrea.^[1]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.^[2][4]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius says the idle mind does not know what it wants.^[3][4]
• late 14th century – English voluntary is recorded.^[5]
• 1610s – English volition is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To want, wish for (something).^[3]
2. To want (a person), numquid mē vīs?, is there anything you want of me? (on taking leave).^[3]
3. (with infinitive) To wish to; to be willing to.^[3]
4. To want (something to be done), sī vīs, if you please.^[3]
5. vellem, would that.^[3]
6. (of an authority) To will, ordain.^[3]
7. bene velle, to wish (someone) well.^[3]
8. To have as one's aim, be after; to mean.^[3]

Word family

• mālō
• nōlō

Related words

• -ve
• vel
• velleitās
• volēns
• voluntās
• volup
• English will
• English voluntary

Usage notes

Döderlein classes velle with optāre as acts of calm reason, against cupere and avēre, which express passion.^[6] Seneca says “when I forbid you to desire, I shall let you will”.^[6] Volō, volāre “to fly” is a different verb of the first conjugation.^[3][2] Varro tied the verb both to voluntās and to flight, saying that the mind flies in an instant wherever it will.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
7. ^ Marcus Terentius Varro, De lingua Latina (text of The Latin Library; book and paragraph numbers as there).