Ventriloquize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To emit speech in a fashion that seems to originate from an external source, while keeping the speaker’s lips motionless, often accompanied by a puppet or figure
2. To perform the act of producing vocal sounds that appear to come from another entity without moving one's lips, often using a doll as a prop
3. To speak in a way that creates the illusion of someone else making the sounds without visible lip movement, typically with the aid of a puppet

Etymology: "Ventriloquize" is formed from "ventriloquy" with the verbal suffix "-ize", which turns a noun into a verb meaning to do or make something in the manner of that noun. The noun itself is the older and more interesting piece: "ventriloquy" is built from the Latin "venter", meaning belly, and "loqui", meaning to speak. Literally, the word describes speaking from the belly, a notion that goes back to the idea that the voice was produced low in the body. The verb therefore names the act of performing that trick, usually by throwing the voice so that it seems to come from a puppet, a doll, or another person across the room. Since the noun already carried the sense of the illusion, the verb simply turns the skill into an action that a performer can carry out.

Synonyms: dummy speaking, ventriloquism, talk without moving lips, mimic, impersonate