sotto voce

sot·to vo·ce

S s

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [sot-oh voh-chee; Italian sawt-taw vaw-che]
- /ˈsɒt oʊ ˈvoʊ tʃi; Italian ˈsɔt tɔ ˈvɔ tʃɛ/
- /ˈvoʊ.tʃiː/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [sot-oh voh-chee; Italian sawt-taw vaw-che]
- /ˈsɒt oʊ ˈvoʊ tʃi; Italian ˈsɔt tɔ ˈvɔ tʃɛ/

Definitions of sotto voce words

adverb sotto voce in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard. 1
adverb sotto voce in a low voice 1
adverb sotto voce If you say something sotto voce, you say it in a soft voice. 0
adverb sotto voce in an undertone 0
noun sotto voce in an undertone, so as not to be overheard 0

See all 5 definitions of sotto voce

Information block about the term

Origin of sotto voce

First appearance:

before 1730

One of the 48% newest English words

1730-40; < Italian: literally, under (the) voice

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Sotto voce

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Sotto voce

sotto voce popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 31% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 65% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

sotto voce usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for sotto voce

adv sotto voce

faintly — lacking brightness, vividness, clearness, loudness, strength, etc.: a faint light; a faint color; a faint sound.
inaudibly — not audible; incapable of being heard.

adjective sotto voce

murmured — a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.

adverb sotto voce

noiselessly — accompanied by or making little or no noise; silent; quiet: a noiseless step; a noiseless typewriter.
quietly — making no noise or sound, especially no disturbing sound: quiet neighbors.

All 5 Synonyms of sotto voce