semivowel

noun

semi·​vow·​el ˈse-mē-ˌvau̇(-ə)l 

ˈse-ˌmī-,

-mi-

1

: a speech sound (such 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

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1