sotto voce

[ sot-oh voh-chee; Italian sawt-taw vaw-che ]

adverb

1. in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard.

sotto voce

/ ˈsɒtəʊ ˈvəʊtʃɪ /

adverb

1. in an undertone

Word History and Origins

Origin of sotto voce¹

First recorded in 1730–40; from Italian adverb sottovoce, “in a low voice,” from sotto “under” + voce “voice” ( voice ( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sotto voce¹

C18: from Italian: under (one's) voice

Example Sentences

But instead, the trip is taking place sotto voce.

From BBC

Heads bent close in the candlelight, speaking sotto voce, they made an almost rom-com pair.

From New York Times

But his subsequent sotto voce remark, to the effect that he probably wouldn’t give any of the Manhattan Project scientists clearance under those rules, doesn’t appear anywhere in the 1,011-page hearing transcript.

From Los Angeles Times

Seated next to him at a public hearing, you were in constant danger of laughing out loud at his sotto voce commentaries.

From Los Angeles Times

In the well-practiced sotto voce of a veteran concierge, Mulholland offered an addendum: Only five of the explosions that damaged the building, he said, were from incendiary devices planted inside the hotel itself.

From Los Angeles Times