volunteers
|vol-un-teer|
🇺🇸
/ˌvɑlənˈtɪr/
🇬🇧
/ˌvɒlənˈtɪə(r)/
(volunteer)
offering help freely
Etymology
'volunteer' originates from Latin via Old French, specifically the Medieval Latin word 'voluntarius', where the root 'volunt-' meant 'will' or 'wish'.
'volunteer' changed from the Medieval Latin word 'voluntarius' into Old French 'voluntaire' and then entered Middle English as 'voluntaire'/'voluntarie' before becoming the modern English word 'volunteer'.
Initially, it meant 'of one's own will' or 'willing person', and over time it evolved into the current meanings related to someone who offers to do work freely or who enlists by choice.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who freely offers to do something, especially to do work without receiving pay.
Many volunteers help at the food bank every weekend.
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Noun 2
a person who joins a group or cause of their own free will (often used historically or of irregular military forces).
During the conflict, local volunteers formed a militia.
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Verb 1
third-person singular present of 'volunteer': to offer to do something willingly, without being forced or paid.
She volunteers to organize the annual fundraiser each year.
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Adjective 1
describing something done by volunteers or done voluntarily (used attributively).
The volunteers run the community clinic on weekends.
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Last updated: 2026/01/10 12:47