vo·li·tion

[voh-lish-uhn, vuh-]
noun
1.
the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing: She left of her own volition.
2.
a choice or decision made by the will.
3.
the power of willing; will.
Origin:
1605–15; < Medieval Latin volitiōn- (stem of volitiō), equivalent to vol- (variant stem of velle to want, wish; see will1) + -itiōn- -ition

Related forms
vo·li·tion·al, vo·li·tion·ar·y [voh-lish-uh-ner-ee] , adjective
vo·li·tion·al·ly, adverb
non·vo·li·tion, noun
non·vo·li·tion·al, adjective
pre·vo·li·tion·al, adjective
su·per·vo·li·tion, noun
un·vo·li·tion·al, adjective

Synonyms
1. discretion, choice. See will2.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
volition (vəˈlɪʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the act of exercising the will: of one's own volition
2.  the faculty or capability of conscious choice, decision, and intention; the will
3.  the resulting choice or resolution
4.  philosophy an act of will as distinguished from the physical movement it intends to bring about
 
[C17: from Medieval Latin volitiō, from Latin vol- as in volō I will, present stem of velle to wish]
 
vo'litional
 
—adj
 
vo'litionary
 
—adj
 
vo'litionally
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

volition
1615, from Fr. volition (16c.), from M.L. volitionem (nom. volitio) "will, volition," from L. stem (as in volo "I wish") of velle "to wish," from PIE *wel-/*wol- "be pleasing" (see will (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

volition vo·li·tion (və-lĭsh'ən)
n.

  1. The act or an instance of making a conscious choice or decision.

  2. A conscious choice or decision.

  3. The power or faculty of choosing; the will.

vo·li'tion·al adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
All free governments are the creatures of volition-a breath can make them and a breath can destroy them.
The former verbs imply a conscious volition which the experiment seems not to
  warrant.
Everyone who participates in a fight should do so by their own volition.
When it works correctly, the sails pop up and the trunk opens of its own
  volition.
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