semivowel

American  

[sem-ee-vou-uhl] / ˈsɛm iˌvaʊ əl /

noun

1. Phonetics. a speech sound of vowel quality used as a consonant, as (w) in wet or (y) in yet.

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semivowel British  

/ ˈsɛmɪˌvaʊəl /

noun

1. a vowel-like sound that acts like a consonant, in that it serves the same function in a syllable carrying the same amount of prominence as a consonant relative to a true vowel, the nucleus of the syllable. In English and many other languages the chief semivowels are (w) in well and (j), represented as y, in yell

2. a frictionless continuant classified as one of the liquids; (l) or (r)

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Etymology

Origin of semivowel

1520–30; semi- + vowel; replacing semivocal < Latin sēmivocālis half vowel

Example Sentences

A semivowel is a consonant which can be imperfectly sounded without a vowel, so that at the end of a syllable its sound may be protracted; as, l, n, z, in al, an, az.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

In roi the semivowel element precedes, in oil it follows.

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

It grew out of the Greek υ, a vowel, and no semivowel.

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

A semivowel, one having an audible sound by the addition of another Letter; e.g.

From Aristotle on the art of poetry by Bywater, Ingram

It should be noted that the Dictionarium, which was written contemporaniously, does use y for the semivowel.

From Diego Collado's Grammar of the Japanese Language by Spear, Richard L.