ventriloquist

ventriloquist
\ \ [17] A ventriloquist is etymologically a ‘stomach-speaker’. The word is an anglicization of late Latin ventriloquus, a compound formed from Latin venter ‘stomach’ (source also of English ventral [18] and ventricle [14]) and loquī ‘speak’ (source of English colloquial [18], elocution [15], eloquent [14], loquacious [17], etc). The ultimate model for this was Greek eggastrímuthos ‘speaking in the stomach’. The term was originally a literal one; it referred to the supposed phenomenon of speaking from the stomach or abdomen, particularly as a sign of possession by an evil spirit. It was not used for the trick of throwing one’s voice until the end of the 18th century.
\ \ Cf.⇒ COLLOQUIAL, ELOCUTION, ELOQUENT, LOCUTION, LOQUATIOUS, VENTRAL, VENTRICLE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Ventriloquist — Ven*tril o*quist, n. One who practices, or is skilled in, ventriloquism. [1913 Webster] {Ventriloquist monkey} (Zo[ o]l.), the onappo; so called from the character of its cry. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ventriloquist — (v. lat. Ventrilŏquus), Bauchredner, s.d …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Ventriloquist — (lat.), Bauchredner …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Ventriloquíst — (lat.), s. Bauchredner …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • ventriloquist — 1650s, from VENTRILOQUY (Cf. ventriloquy) + IST (Cf. ist) …   Etymology dictionary

  • ventriloquist — ► NOUN ▪ an entertainer who makes their voice seem to come from a dummy of a person or animal. DERIVATIVES ventriloquial adjective ventriloquism noun ventriloquy noun. ORIGIN from Latin venter belly + loqui speak …   English terms dictionary

  • ventriloquist — [ven tril′əkwist] n. a person who practices ventriloquism; specif., an entertainer who uses ventriloquism to carry on a pretended conversation as with a large puppet, or dummy ventriloquistic adj …   English World dictionary

  • ventriloquist — ven|tril|o|quist [venˈtrıləkwıst] n [Date: 1700 1800; : Late Latin; Origin: ventriloquus ventriloquist , from Latin venter ( VENTRAL) + loqui to speak ; from the belief that the voice comes from the ventriloquist s stomach] someone who entertains …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • ventriloquist — [[t]ventrɪ̱ləkwɪst[/t]] ventriloquists N COUNT A ventriloquist is someone who can speak without moving their lips and who entertains people by making their words appear to be spoken by a puppet. He looked like a ventriloquist s dummy …   English dictionary

  • ventriloquist — UK [venˈtrɪləkwɪst] / US noun [countable] Word forms ventriloquist : singular ventriloquist plural ventriloquists an entertainer who can speak without moving his or her lips, especially one who makes a model, person, or animal appear to talk… …   English dictionary

  • Ventriloquist — Henry Rox mit Bauchrednerpuppe „Max“ Ein Bauchredner, gelegentlich latinisierend als Ventriloquist (v. lat.: venter = Bauch + loqui = reden) bezeichnet, manipuliert seine Stimme in einer Art, dass sie von einer anderen Person oder Puppe… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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