ventriloque

ventriloquist

noun vahn-tree-LOK Rare

Origin: Latin venter (belly) + loqui (to speak)

Usage Note

Ventriloque refers to a performer skilled in projecting their voice so it appears to come from elsewhere, typically a puppet. The Latin etymology literally means 'one who speaks from the belly'. It is gender-variable: un ventriloque, une ventriloque. The related noun is ventriloquie (ventriloquism).

Examples

"Le ventriloque faisait parler sa marionnette."

Natural Translation

The ventriloquist made his puppet speak.

Literal Translation

The ventriloquist made-speak his puppet.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

En, Au, Aux: French Prepositions for Countries

Use en for feminine countries, au for masculine, aux for plural, and à for cities. Full French preposition rule for countries, with a lookup table and traps.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Numbers 70, 80, 90 Made Simple

French numbers 70, 80, 90 are soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, and quatre-vingt-dix. Learn three build formulas to make any number 70-99 on the fly.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Liaison Rules: When to Link Words (and Not To)

French liaison links a silent final consonant to the next vowel. Learn the obligatory, forbidden, and optional rules, plus the s→z and d→t sound shifts.

June 4, 2026 5 min read