Voluntary oath

Voluntary Vol"un*ta*ry, a. [L. voluntarius, fr. voluntas will, choice, from the root of velle to will, p. pr. volens; akin to E. will: cf. F. volontaire, Of. also voluntaire. See {Will}, v. t., and cf. {Benevolent}, {Volition}, {Volunteer}.] 1. Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice. [1913 Webster]

That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy. --N. W. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

2. Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one's self, or of itself; free. [1913 Webster]

Our voluntary service he requires. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

She fell to lust a voluntary prey. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

3. Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as, if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter. [1913 Webster]

4. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion. [1913 Webster]

5. Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent. [1913 Webster]

God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary, agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]

6. (Law) Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration. [1913 Webster]

7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church. [1913 Webster]

{Voluntary affidavit} or {Voluntary oath} (Law), an affidavit or oath made in an extrajudicial matter.

{Voluntary conveyance} (Law), a conveyance without valuable consideration.

{Voluntary escape} (Law), the escape of a prisoner by the express consent of the sheriff.

{Voluntary jurisdiction}. (Eng. Eccl. Law) See {Contentious jurisdiction}, under {Contentious}.

{Voluntary waste}. (Law) See {Waste}, n., 4. [1913 Webster]

Syn: See {Spontaneous}. [1913 Webster]