[ vɛn'trɪləkwɪst ]
■ noun an entertainer who makes their voice seem to come from a dummy of a person or animal.
Derivatives
ventriloquial ˌvɛntrɪ'ləʊkwɪəl adjective
ventriloquism noun
ventriloquize or ventriloquise verb
ventriloquy noun
Origin
C17: from mod. L. ventriloquium (from L. venter 'belly' + loqui 'speak') + -ist .