a. and sb. Also 6 wolant. [a. F. volant, pres. pple. of voler, also as sb.; or ad. L. volant-, volans, pres. pple. of volāre to fly. Cf. also It., Sp., Pg. volante. In 1 b and 3 placed after the noun.]
A. adj. † 1. a. Riding at full gallop. Obs. rare.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 57. They ranne volant one as fast as he might ouertake the other. Ibid., 58 b. After that ye king & his aides had performed their courses, thei ranne volant at al commers. [Hence in Holinshed and Baker.]
† b. Mil. So constituted as to be capable of rapid movement or action. (Cf. FLYING ppl. a. 4 d.)
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 167 b. Certain Frenchmen … came before Alexandrie & there kept a siege volant.
1560. Maitland, in E. Russell, Maitland of L. (1912), ii. 57. For lack of money the camp volant cannot continue.
1577. Holinshed, Hist. Scot., 479/1, in Chron., I. The French army in Scotland … determined with a siege volant to keepe the Englishmen in Habington from vitayles and all other reliefe.
1617. Moryson, Itin., II. 160. Out of these Regiments was raised a squadron volante (or flying Regiment) which onely was to answere Alarums. Ibid., 176. Sir Henrie Powers squadron volant (or flying Regiment).
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., II. xxi. (1821), 415. The Regiment volant (commanded by Sir Harvie Power).
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., VI. § 268. He sent Charles Cavendish…, with a Party Volant of Horse and Dragoons, into Lincolnshire.
† c. Hovering between two sides. Obs.–1
a. 1734. North, Examen, I. ii. § 25 (1740), 42. He was not, like the Party volant, waiting for Profers to determine him.
† 2. Volant piece, an addition to the front of a helmet as a protection for the face, used especially in tournaments. Obs.
1509–10. in Meyrick, Anc. Armour (1824), II. 251. These four knights shall present themselves … in harneys for the tylt without tache or breket, wolant pece on the hedde [etc.].
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 123. To whiche coyffe or bassenet neuer armorer taketh hede, for it is euermore couered with the viser, barbet and volant pece.
[1824. Meyrick, Anc. Armour, II. 263. The grand-guard, volant piece and gard de bras were put on with nuts which rendered pincers necessary.]
3. Her. Of birds, etc.: Represented as flying; having the wings expanded as if in flight.
Many special varieties, as volant descendant, displayed, expansed, etc., are explained in Berry’s Encycl. Herald. (c. 1828), I. Gloss.
1572. Bossewell, Armorie, II. 29 b. R. beareth Sable and Argente … two Faucons volante, and a Greyhounde cursante.
1599. R. Linche, Fountain Anc. Fiction, F iij b. Downe from his shoulders depended a vestement, wherein was curiously proportioned the head of Medusa,… on the one side of him were placed certaine Eagles volant.
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. xxiii. 172. Heere also you see one gesture of a Fowle-volant.
1684. Lond. Gaz., No. 1980/4. A Coat of Armes being a Faulcon volant between 3 Mullets with distinction of a half Moon.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., Volant, in Heraldry, is when a Bird in a Coat of Arms is drawn flying, or having its Wings spread out.
1838. Penny Cycl., XII. 143/2. Birds, according to their attitudes, are blazoned Volant, Displayed, Preying, etc.
1864. Boutell, Her. Hist. & Pop., iii. (ed. 3), 66. Az. three butterflies volant or.
4. Flying; able to fly, capable of flight.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 385. This is the onely four-footed Beast that’s volant.
1698. Phil. Trans., XX. 167. As to the Fire-Flies,… I take them to be a Glow-Worm Volant.
1708. Brit. Apollo, No. 90. 3/1. With Engine fatal to the Volant Kind.
1759. Johnson, Rasselas, vi. I have considered the structure of all volant animals.
1789. Mrs. Piozzi, Journ. France, I. 366. A kind of volant beetle.
1822. T. Taylor, Apuleius, 300. In every part of the world there are animals adapted to the several parts, the volant living in the air, and the gradient on the earth.
1830. Fraser’s Mag., I. 222. The volant, bright-plumaged birds of heaven.
1876. Farrar, Marlb. Serm., xv. 142. Then shall thousands of volant angels bear us down upon their wings.
fig. 1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., V. i. § 50. English silver now was current, and our gold volant in the Popes Courts.
1789. E. Darwin, Bot. Gard., II. (1791), 60. The first … Weighs with nice ear the vowel, liquid, surd, And breaks in syllables the volant word.
1796. Burney, Mem. Metastasio, I. 351. Let me in volant thought Ideal bliss renew.
1818. Bp. J. Jebb, Life & Lett., lxvii. 619. But, alas, my paper wings are very rarely volant.
1840. Mrs. Trollope, in New Monthly Mag., LX. 40. A sort of volant admiration that seemed ready to take wing, and fly off in whatever direction he might please to indicate.
1898. Meredith, Poems, Napoleon, i. 11. Reverberant notes and long blew volant Fame.
b. transf. Connected with flying.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa, VI. 3. But here,… to carry on the volant metaphor…, is a pretty little Miss [etc.].
5. Of things: Passing rapidly through the air or space, as if by flight; floating lightly in the air.
1603. Holland, Plutarch’s Mor., 639. Alexander the Great,… who … lanced himselfe in maner of a starre volant in the aire, leaping out of the East into the West. Ibid., 791. The intelligent nature of heaven, he [Plato] calleth, a Chariot volant, to wit, the harmonicall motion and revolution of the world.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., II. I. xii. 54. It may be thought that these fires volant proceed from sulphurous exhalations that rise out of the Earth.
1789. Mrs. Piozzi, Journ. France, II. 286. The volant shadows that cross our British hills.
1798. in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. (1799), II. 167. The eddying smoke, quick flame, and volant spark.
1813. T. Busby, Lucretius, II. IV. Comm. p. vii. The poet distinguishes the volant films of substances from other portions of bodies.
1831. Campbell, View fr. St. Leonard’s, 75. Men’s volant homes that measure liquid space On wheel or wing.
1840. Mrs. F. Trollope, Widow Married, xxii. 150. She had always some volant ribbon or floating scarf to attend to and arrange.
1865. Athenæum, 15 July, 78/2. The car volant of Armida.
b. Moving rapidly or lightly; active, nimble. Also fig. of discourse.
1650. Weldon, Crt. Jas. I., 176. Now have I brought this great Kings Reign to an end, in a volant discourse, and shall give you his Character in briefe.
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 561. His volant touch Instinct through all proportions low and high Fled and pursu’d transverse the resonant fugue.
1708. J. Philips, Cyder, II. 75. Bards with volant touch Traverse loquacious strings.
1753. Richardson, Grandison (1781), I. xxxvi. 251. Yes, my volant, my self-conducted quill begin with the Sister.
1759. [H. Dalrymple], Woodstock (1761), 13. Their volant fingers o’er the chorded lyre, With modulating touch the artists ply.
1805. H. K. White, Rem. (1825), 95. I could … in the caverns of the ocean flood, thrid the light mazes of thy volant foot.
1828. Lights & Shades, II. 277. Those dexter fingers, such volant summoners of sound.
1897. Dowden, Fr. Lit., V. iii. 367. He knew how to wing his verses with a volent [sic] refrain.
† c. Of colors: Changing, iridescent. Obs.–1
1616. Lane, Contn. Sqr.’s T., XI. 204, note. All colors vauncd, save white,… with all new volant dies of gallant dresse.
6. Characterized by, of the nature of, flight.
1818. Mrs. Iliff, Corfú, Poems (ed. 2), 98. The games, the race, the wrestlers meed; The discus urged with volant speed.
1831. Blackw. Mag., XXIX. 263. What godlike grace in that volant motion!
1863. Lyell, Antiq. Man, xxii. 446. A change from … volant to non-volant habits of living.
1891. C. E. Craddock, In ‘Stranger People’s’ Country, xvi. 312. He turned to catch through the trees a flitting glimpse of her light dress, her volant attitude, as she sped silently and secretly back to the waiting group on the porch.
7. Flounced; frilled. (Cf. sense 3 below.)
1902. Daily Tel., 2 Aug., 3/2. The seamed skirt … has the preference over the volant skirt.
B. sb. † 1. To act, to keep (upon), the volant, to hover between two parties, sides or opinions. Obs.
a. 1734. North, Examen, I. ii. § 64 (1740), 63. And so they kept the Volant a good While, and did not declare on which Side they would fall. Ibid., III. vi. § 69. 474. The Dutch had acted the volant, and done enough, on the one Side or the other, to have kept the Fire alive. Ibid. (a. 1734), Lives (1826), III. 336. He … chose to keep upon the volant, free to discourse and censure as he from time to time thought fit.
2. = Volant piece (see sense 2 above). rare–0.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., 714. Volant, a piece of steel on a helmet, presenting an acute angle to the front.
3. A flounce or frill.
1882. Caulfeild & Saward, Dict. Needlework, 515/1. Volant, the French term denoting either a flounce, or a frill; both of which are descriptions of dress trimmings.
1908. Daily Chron., 17 June, 6/5. Her muslin Empire dress had a deep white cloth ‘volant.’
4. = VOLET 2.
1898. Daily News, 14 July, 6/2. The most interesting of the late acquisitions is the pair of volants or shutters to Lionardo’s Holy Family.
Hence Volantly adv., in a volant manner.
1876. J. Ellis, Caesar in Egypt, 98. Two seraphs hovering o’er the fragile ark, Its puny canvas fanning volantly.
