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oath |
6 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: 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. That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy. --N. W. Taylor. 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 Our voluntary service he requires. --Milton. She fell to lust a voluntary prey. --Pope. 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. 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. 5. Endowed with the power of willing; as man is a voluntary agent. 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. 6. (Law) Free without compulsion; according to the will consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration. 7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church. {Voluntary affidavit} or {oath} (Law), an affidavit or oath made in 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. Syn: See {Spontaneous}. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Oath \Oath\ ([=o]th), n.; pl {Oaths} ([=o][th]z). [OE. othe, oth, ath, AS [=a][eth]; akin to D. eed, OS [=e][eth], G. eid, Icel. ei[eth]r, Sw ed Dan. eed, Goth. ai[thorn]s; cf OIr. oeth.] 1. A solemn affirmation or declaration, made with a reverent appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. ``I have an oath in heaven'' --Shak. An oath of secrecy for the concealing of those [inventions] which we think fit to keep secret. --Bacon. 2. A solemn affirmation, connected with a sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the temple, the altar, the blood of Abel, the Bible, the Koran, etc 3. (Law) An appeal (in verification of a statement made) to a superior sanction, in such a form as exposes the party making the appeal to an indictment for perjury if the statement be false. 4. A careless and blasphemous use of the name of the divine Being or anything divine or sacred, by way of appeal or as a profane exclamation or ejaculation; an expression of profane swearing. ``A terrible oath'' --Shak. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: oath n 1: profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger [syn: {curse}, {curse word}, {expletive}, {swearing}, {swearword}, {cuss}] 2: swearing to the truth of a statement; to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury [syn: {vow}, {swearing}] From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: OATH Object-oriented Abstract Type Hierarchy, a class library for C++ from {Texas Instruments}. From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: Oath a solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deut. 6:13; Jer. 4:2), in various forms (Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hos. 4:15; Rom. 1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen. 14:22; 24:2; 2 Chr. 6:22). God is represented as taking an oath (Heb. 6:16-18), so also Christ (Matt. 26:64), and Paul (Rom. 9:1; Gal. 1:20; Phil. 1:8). The precept, "Swear not at all," refers probably to ordinary conversation between man and man (Matt. 5:34,37). But if the words are taken as referring to oaths, then their intention may have been to show "that the proper state of Christians is to require no oaths; that when evil is expelled from among them every yea and nay will be as decisive as an oath, every promise as binding as a vow." From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]: OATH, n. In law, a solemn appeal to the Deity, made binding upon the conscience by a penalty for perjury.
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