biloquium

English

Etymology

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

Noun

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

• biloquism

Related terms

• biloquial
• biloquist