volunteer means one who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay. It carries an Arena rating of 1507, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, volunteer ranks #546 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #838 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #6,037 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #6,195 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
volunteer is pronounced /ˌvɒl(ə)nˈtɪə/.
Why “volunteer” is a great word
A person who offers to do something, especially a service, of their own free will and without compulsion or payment. From Middle French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius ("willing, of one's free will"), from voluntās ("will, choice"). The noun form, with the suffix '-eer', emerged in the early modern period with a military connotation. Unlike a conscript, who is compelled into service by law, or an employee, who is contractually bound for pay, a volunteer moves through the world with open hands and no ledger. It is the stranger wading into floodwater to lift a dog onto dry ground, the patient voice reading in a quiet room, the body that steps forward when every signal says step back—a fleeting but tangible argument for human grace, a gift that cannot be bought and so cannot be sold.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French voluntaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, voluntary”); or from voluntary + -eer.
noun
- One who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay.e.g.“The volunteers at the nature reserve meet up ever other Sunday to help its upkeep.”
- One who enters into military service voluntarily (but who, when in service, is subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers), as opposed to a conscript.
- A voluntary member of the organized militia of a country, as distinguished from a regular or member of the standing army.
- A person who acts out of their own will without a legal obligation, such as a donor.
- A plant that grows spontaneously, without being cultivated on purpose; see volunteer plant in Wikipedia.
- A native or resident of the American state of Tennessee.
verb
- To enlist oneself as a volunteer.
- To do or offer to do something voluntarily.e.g.“to volunteer for doing the dishes”
- To offer, usually unprompted.e.g.“to volunteer an explanation”
- To offer the services of (someone else) to do something.e.g.“My sister volunteered me to do the dishes.”
- To grow without human sowing or intentional cultivation.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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