Ventriloquy
/vɛnˈtrɪl.ə.kwi/noun
The art or practice of speaking so that the voice seems to come from somewhere else, often with a puppet or dummy.
Did you know?In antiquity, ventriloquism was associated with divine possession and oracle speech, because the voice seemed to come from inside the body rather than the mouth.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
engastrimythos
“a person who speaks from the belly; a ventriloquist or oracle-speaker”
Late Latin
Latin
ventriloquus
“belly-speaker”
Medieval Latin
Latin
ventriloquium
“the practice of speaking with a hidden or seeming internal voice”
16th Century
English
ventriloquy
“the art of speaking so the voice appears to come from elsewhere”
Modern English
English
ventriloquy
“speech performed to make the voice seem to originate from another source”