Gender Masculine
Usage History
Pronounced Pron. /vɔl.tɛʁ/(French) /voʊl.ˈtɛɹ/(English)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

Pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), a French philosopher and writer, the author of Candide. It is not known how Arouet devised his name. He may have reversed the syllables of Airvault, a town where his family owned property; it may have been an anagram of the Latin spelling of his surname Arovet and LI standing for le jeune "the young"; or it may have come from French volontaire "determined".

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Entry updated April 23, 2024