SEMIVOWEL


Meaning of SEMIVOWEL in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈse-mē-ˌvau̇(-ə)l, ˈse-ˌmī-, -mi- ]

noun

Date: 1530

1. : a speech sound (as y, w, or r) that has the articulation of a vowel but that is shorter in duration and is treated as a consonant in syllabication

2. : a letter representing a semivowel

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.