Crossword clues for semivowel
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Semivowel \Sem"i*vow`el\, n. (Phon.)
A sound intermediate between a vowel and a consonant, or partaking of the nature of both, as in the English w and y.
The sign or letter representing such a sound.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A sound in speech which has some qualities of a consonant and some qualities of a vowel 2 A letter which represents a semivowel sound, such as w or y in English.
WordNet
n. a vowel-like sound that serves as a consonant [syn: glide]
Wikipedia
In phonetics and phonology, a semivowel or glide is a sound that is phonetically similar to a vowel sound but functions as the syllable boundary, rather than as the nucleus of a syllable. Examples of semivowels in English are the consonants y and w, in yes and west. Written in IPA, y and w are near to the vowels ee and oo in seen and moon, written in IPA.
Usage examples of "semivowel".
Now note the opposition of the consonants -- a rich nasal against a voiceless semivowel, a voiced stop against a voiceless.
F, though having a name beginning with a vowel, is numbered by the grammarians among the semivowels, yet has this quality of a mute, that it is commodiously sounded before a liquid, as flask, fry, freckle.