sotto voce

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian sottovoce (literally “under [the] voice”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌsɒtəʊ ˈvəʊtʃeɪ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌsɑtoʊ ˈvoʊtʃi/

Adjective

sotto voce (not comparable)

1. (of speech, of a voice, etc) In soft tones; quiet.
   • 1913, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 5, in Sons and Lovers:

     Then a man called for her, and began to make coarse jokes. But Mr. Pappleworth nodded his head in the direction of the boy, and the talk went on sotto voce.

   • 1985, Gary Russell, Divided Loyalties, page 38:

     ‘Hello?’ she shouted, but still her voice came out barely louder than a sotto voce whisper.

   • 2018, Nicole Seymour, Bad Environmentalism, page 89:

     The Boyz also regularly speak in sotto voce, mimicking the grave, hushed tones often adopted by nature/wildlife programming hosts.

2. (music) Soft, instruments or voice.

   Synonym: (informal) sotto

Adverb

sotto voce (not comparable)

1. (of speech, of a voice, etc) Quietly.
   • 1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:

     "I am not your dear; I cannot lie down. Send me to school soon, Mrs. Reed, for I hate to live here." I will indeed send her to school soon," murmured Mrs. Reed sotto voce; and gathering up her work, she abruptly quitted the apartment.

   • 2007 February 25, William Shaw, quoting Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, “We Are Not a Muse”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     “Darling,” she says, “a working-class hero is something to be. “Of course,” she adds, sotto voce, “I wouldn’t know.”

2. (music) Sung or played softly, instruments or voice.

   Synonym: (informal) sotto

Noun

sotto voce (plural sotto voci)

1. (music) A direction in a score that a passage in a piece should be played softly, or sung in a low voice, when applied to vocal music.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian sottovoce.

Adverb

sotto voce

1. (music) sotto voce

   Synonym: berbisik

Further reading

• “sotto voce” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Adverb

sotto voce

1. Alternative form of sottovoce