Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VOL-TAM'E-TER, n. [Volta and {foreign}.]

An instrument for measuring the voltate electricity generating through it.

VOLTAN-ITE, n.

A mineral, otherwise called augite.

VOL-TAW, a.

Pertaining to Volta, the discoverer of voltaism; as, the voltaic pile. Voltaic apparatus, the apparatus used for accumulating galvanic electricity. The agent itself is denominated galvanism, after its discoverer, Galvani, while the instruments used for exciting and accumulating it, are called voltaic, in honor of Volta, who first contrived this kind of apparatus. Voltaic pile, a column formed by successive pairs of metallic disks, as silver and zink, with moistened cloth between every two contiguous pairs. Voltaic battery, the larger forms of voltaic apparatus, used for accumulating galvanic electricity.

VOLTI,

in music, turn over. Volti subito, turn over quickly.

VO-LU'BIL-ATE, or VOL'U-BILE, a.

In gardening, a volubilate stem is one that climbs by winding or twining round another body. Cyc.

VOL-U-BIL'I-TY, n. [Fr. volubilite; L. volubilitas, from Volvo, to roll.]

1. The capacity of being rolled; aptness to roll; as, the volubility of a bowl. Watts.
2. The act of rolling. By irregular volubility. Hooker.
3. Ready motion of the tongue in speaking; fluency of speech. She ran over the catalogue of diversions with such a volubility of tongue, as drew a gentle reprimand from her father. Female Quixote.
4. Mutability; liableness to revolution; as, the volubility of human affairs. [Unusual.] L'Estrange.

VOL'U-BLE, a. [L. volubilis.]

1. Formed so as to roll with ease or to be easily set in motion; apt to roll; as, voluble particles of matter. Boyle.
2. Rolling; having quick motion. This less voluble earth. Milton.
3. Nimble; active; moving with ease and smoothness in uttering words; fluent; as, a flippant, voluble tongue.
4. Fluent; flowing with ease and smoothness; as, a voluble speech. Shak.
5. Having fluency of speech. Cassio, a knave very voluble. Shak.

VOL'U-BLY, adv.

In a rolling or fluent manner. Hudibras.

VOL'U-ME, n. [Fr. from L. volumen, a roll; Volvo, to roll. To make it long, in this word, is palpably wrong.]

1. Primarily, a roll, as the ancients wrote on long strips of bark, parchment, or other material, which they formed into Tolls or folds. Of such volumes, Ptolemy's library in Alexandria contained 3 or 700,000.
2. A roll or turn; as much as is included in a roll or coil as the volume of a serpent. Dryden.
3. Dimensions; compass; space occupied; as, the volume of an elephant's body; a volume of gas. Darwin. Parke.
4. A swelling or spherical body. The undulating billows rolling their silver volumes.
5. A. book; a collection of sheets of paper, usually printed or written paper, folded and hound, or covered. A hook consisting of sheets once folded, is called a folio, or a folio volume; of sheets twice folded, a quarto; and thus according to the number of leaves m a sheet, it is called an octavo, or a duodecimo. The Scriptures or sacred writings, bound in a single volume, are called the Bible. The number of volumes in the Royal Library, in Rue de Richlieu, at Paris, is variously estimated. It is probable it may amount to 400,000. An odd volume of a set of books, bears not the value of its proportion to the set. Franklin.
6. In music, the compass of a voice from grave to acute; the tone or power of voice. Busby.

VOL'UM-ED, a.

Having the form of a volume or roll; as, volumed mist. Percy's Masque.

VO-LU'MIN-OUS, a.

1. Consisting of many coils or complications. The serpent rolt'd voluminous and vast Milton.
2. Consisting of many volumes or books. The collections of Muratori and of the Byzantine history, are very voluminous.
3. Having written much, or made many volumes; as, a voluminous writer.
4. Copious; diffusive. He was too voluminous in discourse. [Not in use.]

VO-LU'MIN-OUS-LY, adv.

In many volumes; very copiously. Granville.

VO-LUMIN-OUS-NESS, n.

State of being bulky or in many volumes.

VOL'UM-IST, n.

One who writes a volume; an author. Plot en use.] Milton.

VOL'UN-TA-RI-LY, adv. [from voluntary.]

Spontaneously; of one's own will; without being moved, influenced, or impelled by others. To be agents voluntarily to our own destruction, is against God and nature. Hooker.

VOL'UN-TA-RI-NESS, n. .

The state of being voluntary or optional.

VOL'UN-TA-RY, a. [Fr. volontaire; volunlarius, front voluntas, wifl, from volo. Voluntary is applicable only to beings that have will; spontaneous is applicable to physical causes, as well as to the will of an agent.]

1. Acting by choice or spontaneously; acting without being influenced or impelled by another.
2. Free, or having power to act by choice; not being under restraint; as, man is a voluntary agent. Hooker.
3. Proceeding from choice or free will. That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action, is the true principle of orthodoxy. N. W. Taylor.
4. Willing; acting with willingness. She fell to lust a voluntary prey. Pope.
5. Done by design; purposed; intended. If a man kills another by lopping a tree, here is a no voluntary murder.
6. Done freely, or of choice; proceeding from free will. He went into voluntary exile. He made a voluntary surrender.
7. Acting of his own accord; spontaneous; as, the voluntary dictates of knowledge.
8. Subject to the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal. Thus the motion of a leg or an arm is voluntary, but the motion of the heart is involuntary. A voluntary escape, in law, is the escape of a prisoner by the express consent of the sherif. Voluntary jurisdiction, is that which is exercised in doing that which no one opposes; as in granting. dispensations, &c. Voluntary affidavit or oath, is one made m an extra-judicial matter. Voluntary waste, is that which is committed by positive acts.

VOL'UN-TA-RY, n.

1. One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. [In this sense, volunteer is now generally. used.]
2. In music, a piece played by a musician extemporarily, according to his fancy. In the Philosophical Transactions, we have a method of writing voluntaries, as fast as the musician plays the notes. This is by a cylinder turtling under the keys of the organ. Cyc.
3. A composition fur the organ.

VOL-UN-TEER, a.

Entering into service of free will; as, volunteer companies.

VOL-UN-TEER, n. [Fr. volontaire.]

A person who enters into military or other service of his own free will. In military affairs, volunteers enter into service voluntarily, but when in service they are subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers. They sometimes serve gratuitously, but often receive a compensation.

VOL-UN-TEER, v.i.

To enter into any service of one's free will, without solicitation or compulsion. He volunteered in that undertaking. [These verbs are in respectable use.]

VOL-UN-TEER, v.t.

To offer or bestow voluntarily, or without solicitation or compulsion; as, to volunteer one's services.

VO-LUP'TU-A-RY, n. [L. voluptuaries, front voluptas, pleasure.]

A man addicted to luxury or the gratification of the appetite, and to other sensual pleasures. Atterbury.

VO-LUPTU-OUS, a. [Fr. voluptueus; L. voluptuosus.]

Given to the enjoyments of luxury and pleasure; indulging to excess in sensual gratifications. Soften'd with pleasure and voluptuous life. Milton.

VO-LUPTU-OUS-LY, adv.

Luxuriously; with free indulgence of sensual pleasures; as, to live voluptuously.