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sotto voce

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sot⋅to vo⋅ce

[sot-oh voh-chee; It. sawt-taw vaw-che]
–noun
in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard.

Origin:
1730–40; < It: lit., under (the) voice
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sot·to vo·ce   (sŏt'ō vō'chē, sōt'tō vō'chě)   
adv.   & adj.
  1. In soft tones, so as not to be overheard; in an undertone: "There were aspersions cast, sotto voce, but knees quickly folded into curtsies when introductions were in order" (Barbara Lazear Ascher).

  2. Music In very soft tones. Used chiefly as a direction.


[Italian : sotto, under + voce, voice.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sotto voce 
1737, from It., lit. "under voice," from sotto, from L. subtus "below" (cf. Fr. sous).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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