"want of voice, loss of voice, having no sound," 1719, from Modern Latin aphonia, from Greek aphonia "speechlessness," noun of quality from aphonos "voiceless," from a-, privative prefix (see a- (3)), + phone "voice," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say" (see fame (n.)) + abstract noun ending -ia. Less-common anglicized form aphony is attested from 1827.
