1737, Italian, literally "under voice," from sotto, from Latin subtus "below" (source also of French sous; see sub-) + voce, from Latin vocem (nominative vox) "voice, sound, utterance," from PIE root *wekw- "to speak."
he uttered a curse sotto voce
sot
soteriological
soteriology
Sothic
sottish
sotto voce
sou
soubrette
souffle
souffre-douleur
sough