The words "volunteer," "volley" and "volume" all share the same syllable: "vol." But does that mean they share a common origin?

Nope. Each is derived from a different Latin root.

"Volunteer" comes from the Latin root "vol-," a stem of the Latin verb "velle," meaning "to will, to wish." Thus, "volunteers" are people who wish to do something of their own free will, without coercion or compensation. (Students who have freely chosen to attend the University of Tennessee and do charity work are "Volunteers" in three senses of the word.)

This same Latin root also gives us the word "volition" (the act of making a choice), "volitive" (expressing a wish) and, surprisingly, "voluptuous" (delighting in or conducive to sensual pleasure). Here the connection with wishing is that sensual pleasure is something we desire.

Volley," by contrast, comes from a completely different Latin root: "volare," meaning, as the energetic song 1950s song "Volare" reminds us, "to fly." A volley, whether of bullets, arrows or balls, flies through the air.

"Volare" also launches "volatile" (easily vaporizable) because such vapors fly off quickly into the air. By extension, of course, "volatile" also describes people who are fickle and moody — and sometimes "fly" off the handle.

Other "vol-" words derive from the Latin verb "volvere" (to roll).

This root lies at the heart of many words related to turning around or rolling out from a certain set of circumstances: "revolve," "evolve," "devolve."

When something rolls back within itself we say that it's "involved" or "convoluted." In ancient Rome, a scroll was called a "volumen" because it was rolled up, which is why we still refer to a book as a "volume."

And when rolled up objects such as scrolls or carpets or banners are uncoiled, they take up a lot of space, so "volume" also came to refer to quantity and amount. That's why we speak of the "volume" of a solid, liquid or gas.

Likewise, the English adjective "voluminous," which first meant "consisting of many coils, folds or convolutions," eventually broadened to mean "large, numerous," as in a "voluminous art collection."

You're probably about to erupt because I haven't mentioned "volcano." Even though "volcano" contains the syllable "vol," it derives, not from one of the three "vol-" roots, but from Volcanus, the Roman god of fire and metalworking.

To paraphrase Porky Pig, "That's 'vol' folks!"

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254