Meanings
- rareuncountableThe ability to speak in two different voices, especially as a ventriloquist.
1 more example
"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."
1798, Charles Brockden Brown, chapter 22, in Wieland, or the Transformation: An American TaleSynonyms: biloquism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe ability to speak in two different voices, especially as a ventriloquist.
Origin
- Latinbi-“two”
- Englishbiloquium
Probably coined by American novelist Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810), from the Latin bi- (“two”) + loquor (“to speak”) + -ium.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
biloquium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biloquium
“biloquium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biloquium. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “biloquium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biloquium.
Source: biloquium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.