voice
The sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth; the ability to speak.
Etymology
From Middle English vois, from Anglo-Norman voiz, from Latin vōx (voice, sound), from PIE *wekʷ- (to speak). The same PIE root gave Latin vocāre (to call), which produced English vocabulary, vocation, invoke, and advocate. Sanskrit vāk (speech) is a cognate. The native English word from this root family was lost, replaced by the Latin-derived form through French.
The Journey: *wekʷ- → voice
*wekʷ-
vōx
voiz
vois
voice
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *wekʷ-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | epos (ἔπος) — word, speech |
| Latin | vocāre — to call |
| French | voix — voice |
| Sanskrit | vāk — speech |
Did You Know?
Voice, vocabulary, vocation, invoke, provoke, and advocate all come from PIE *wekʷ-. A vocation was literally 'a calling' — the voice of God or fate summoning you to your work.