semiquaver

[ sem-ee-kwey-ver ]

/ ˈsɛm iˌkweɪ vər /

Save This Word!

noun Music (chiefly British).

a sixteenth note.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called demiquaver.

Origin of semiquaver

First recorded in 1570–80; semi- + quaver

Words nearby semiquaver

semiprivate, semipro, semiprofessional, semipublic, semiquantitative, semiquaver, semiquinone, Semiramis, semireligious, semirigid, semiround

How to use semiquaver in a sentence

From time to time a curious syncopated semiquaver figure is heard in the upper part: it may be intended to represent sobbing.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
And as the preceding Semiquaver rang a handbell, this shaked the sprinkle with his fist.
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Complete.|Francois Rabelais
The breve and the semiquaver is, we must have the descant you made upon our names, ere you depart.
The Works of John Marston|John Marston

British Dictionary definitions for semiquaver

semiquaver

/ (ˈsɛmɪˌkweɪvə) /

noun

music a note having the time value of one-sixteenth of a semibreveUsual US and Canadian name: sixteenth note

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012