What is the Latin word for voice?

The usual Latin words for “voice” are vōx, canō, sonus; also sonō, tuba, tonitrus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“voice” in Latin

vōxvoice; accent; speech, remark, expression, (turn of) phrase canōto sing, recite, play; to sound, play, blow (a trumpet), especially a military call; to foretell, predict, prophesy sonussound, noise; pitch; speech; tone, character, style; voice, tongue sonōto sound, resound, make a sound or noise (and various sounds in-context); to sound, utter, speak, express, call; to cry tubalong trumpet over 1 meter in length, especially a war-trumpet; signal for war, war; exciter, author, instigator tonitrusthunder

The English word voice itself goes back to Latin vōx, through vōcem.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

voice

vox (general term, the faculty of producing audible and articulate sounds: then, also, the sound itself that is produced, either of living beings or personified objects; e.g., the voice of nature, naturae vox): cantus (the song of birds): sonus (the tone, sound of a voice or of a musical instrument): vocis sonus (the sound of the voice): sonitus (a continuing sound, as that of the tuba, tubae; of thunder, tonitruum). A clear voice, vox clara (a loud, discernible voice; opposed to a dull, indistinct voice, vox obtusa): vox canora (a clear, harmonious voice; opposed to a dull, low voice, vox fusca). A clear voice, vox laevis (opposed to a rough voice, vox aspera): a high or acute voice, vox acuta (opposed to a deep voice, vox gravis): a flexible voice, vox flexibilis (opposed to a harsh voice, vox dura): a full voice, vox plena (opposed to a thin, faint voice, vox exilis): with a loud voice, (e.g., to call), clara voce; magna voce: firmness, power, etc., of voice, vocis magnitudo, firmitudo: clearness of voice, vocis splendor: to know anybody by his voice, aliquem voce noscitare: aliquem ex voce cognoscere: to imitate the human voice, imitari humanae vocis sonum: to raise one’s voice, attollere vocem: to lower one’s voice, submittere vocem: to exert one’s voice beyond measure, vocem ultra vires urgere.

Figuratively. To listen to anybody’s voice, audire aliquem (to listen to, follow anybody): aliquem monentem audire (to listen to anybody’s exhortation). To obey the voice, or call of nature, naturam ducem sequi: congruenter naturae convenienterque vivere: to listen to the voice, of one’s conscience, a recta conscientia non discedere.

Vote; suffrage, sententia (general term; of a senator in the Senate, of a judge in the court, of the people in the comitia, etc.): suffragium (the vote of a Roman citizen in the comitia; then also, the voting tablet): punctum (the vote which a candidate received in the comitia; because the collectors of the votes [custodes] made a dot or point opposite the name of the person in whose favor the tablet was sent in).

By metonymy, the general voice, omnium consensus, consensus publicus: there is only one voice, concerning anything, omnes uno ore in aliqua re consentiunt: to have the first voice, principatum sententiae tenere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for voice?: The usual Latin words for “voice” are vōx, canō, sonus; also sonō, tuba, tonitrus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.