Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "sotto voce" come from? It comes from Italian sotto voce, and was adopted directly into English (1730s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "sotto voce" come from? It comes from Italian sotto voce, and was adopted directly into English (1730s).
Sotto voce’s story begins in Italian: sotto voce meant “under the voice.” 'under the voice', a direction in music and theatre. It reached English by 1730s as sotto voce. Used for asides and whispered remarks. Today, sotto voce means in a quiet voice, as if not to be overheard.
- Stage 1 · Italian · 1600s sotto voce "under the voice", 'under the voice', a direction in music and theatre.
- Stage 2 · English · 1730s sotto voce "quietly", used for asides and whispered remarks.