biloquium

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Probably coined by American novelist Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810), from the Latin bi- (“two”) + loquor (“to speak”) + -ium.

Noun[edit]

biloquium (uncountable)

  1. (rare) The ability to speak in two different voices, especially as a ventriloquist.
    • 1798, Charles Brockden Brown, chapter 22, in Wieland, or the Transformation: An American Tale:
      "You are not apprized of the existence of a power which I possess. I know not by what name to call it. [* Biloquium, or ventrilocution. Sound is varied according to the variations of direction and distance. . . .] It enables me to mimic exactly the voice of another, and to modify the sound so that it shall appear to come from what quarter, and be uttered at what distance I please."

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

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