Semivowel

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Semivowel \Sem"i*vow`el\, n. (Phon.)
     (a) A sound intermediate between a vowel and a consonant, or
         partaking of the nature of both, as in the English w and
         y.
     (b) The sign or letter representing such a sound.
         [1913 Webster]



From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  semivowel
       n : a vowel-like sound that serves as a consonant [syn: {glide}]